UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT   LOS  ANGELES 


ROBERT  ERNEST  COWAN 


DEPARTMENT   OF    THE   INTERIOR. 


REPORT 


OF   THE 


BOARD  OF  INDIAN  COMMISSIONERS, 


APPOINTED 


BY  THE  PEESIDENT  AGREEABLY  TO  SECTION  FOURTH  OF  THE 

ACT  OF  CONGRESS  MAKING  APPROPRIATIONS  FOR  THE 

CURRENT  AND  CONTINGENT  EXPENSES  OF  THE 

INDIAN  DEPARTMENT  FOR  1869, 


BEING  RESULTS 


OBTAINED  FROM  PERSONAL  OBSERVATION  AND  INSPECTION  OF  THE 

INDIAN  TRIBES  OF  KANSAS,  INDIAN  TERRITORY,  NEW 

MEXICO,  ARIZONA,  AND  ALASKA. 


WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT    PRINTING    OFFICE. 
1870. 


58 

REPORT 

OF  THE 

COMMISSION  ON  INDIAN  AFFAIRS- 


A. 

DEPABTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR, 

OFFICE  OF  INDIAN  AFFAIRS, 

Washington,  May  26,  1869. 

GENTLEMEN  :  You  have  been  solicited  by  the  President,  under  the 
provision  of  the  fourth  section  of  the  act  of  Congress,  approved  April 
10,  18G9,  entitled  "  An  act  making  appropriation  for  the  current  and  con- 
tingent expenses  of  the  Indian  Department,"  &c.,  for  the  year  ending 
June  30,  1870,  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  the  President  to  exercise  the 
power  conferred  by  said  act,  and  being  authorized  by  the  same  to  exer- 
cise, under  the  direction  of  the  President,  joint  control  with  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Interior  over  the  disbursement  of  the  appropriations  made  by 
said  act,  or  any  part  thereof  that  the  President  may  designate,  and  hav- 
ing been  convened  in  the  city  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  for  the  exe- 
cution of  your  duties,  and  believing  that,  in  common  with  the  President 
and  other  officers  of  the  government,  you  desire  the  humanization,  civ- 
ilization, and  Christianization  of  the  Indians,  I  very  respectfully,  after 
consultation  with  the  honorable  Secretary  "of  the  Interior,  submit  the 
following  questions,  which,  with  a  view  to  proper  and  intelligent  action 
in  the  future  relation  of  the  government  with  the  Indians,  I  deem  it  im- 
portant should  receive  your  early  consideration  and  suggestion,  viz :  A 
determination  or  settlement  of  what  should  be  the  legal  statii£_o£~fciM*' 
Indians;  a  definition  of  their  rights  and  obligations  under  the  laws  of 
the  United  States,  of  the  States  and  Territories  and  treaty  stipulations ; 
whether  any  more  treaties  shall  be  stipulated  with  the  Indians,  and  if 
not,  what  legislation  is  necessary  for  those  with  whom  there  are  existing 
treaty  stipulations,  and  what  for  those  with  whom  no  such  stipulations 
exist;  should  the  Indians  be  placed  upon  reservations,  and  what  is  the 
best  method  to  accomplish  this  object ;  should  not  legislation  discrim- 
inate between  the  civilized  and  localized  Indians,  and  the  united  roving 
tribes  of  the  plains  and  mountains ;  what  changes  are  necessary  in  ex- 
isting laws  relating  to  purchasing  goods  and  provisions  for  the  Indians, 
in  order  to  prevent  fraud,  &c.;  should  any  change  be  made  in  the 
method  of  paying  the  money  annuities ;  and  if  so,  what.  Great  mis- 
chief, evils,  and  frequently  serious  results  follow  from  friendly  Indians 
leaving  the  reservations,  producing  conflicts  between  the  citizens,  sol- 
diers, and  Indians.  At  what  time  and  point  shall  the  civil  rule  cease 
and  the  military  begin?  Is  anj~  change  required  in  the  intercourse  laws 
by  reason  of  the  present  and  changed  condition  of  the  country  ?  I 
respectfully  suggest  that  inspection  should  be  made  by  your  com- 
mission of  as  many  Indian  tribes,  especially  the  wild  and  roving  ones, 
as  the  time  of  the  honorable  commissioners  will  permit,  and  their  condi- 
tions and  wants  be  reported  on,  with  any  suggestions  that  each  case 
may  seem  to  require.  Also,  the  accounts  of  superintendents  and  agents 


4  EEPOET    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

should  be  examined,  and  the  efficiency  or  inefficiency  of  those  officers 
should  be  reported  upon.  All  suggestions,  recommendations,  and  reports 
from  the  commission  should  be  made  to  the  honorable  Secretary  of  the 
Interior,  to  be  by  him  submitted,  when  necessary,  to  the  President  and 
Congress. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

B.  S.  PAEKEE, 

Commissioner. 

Addressed  to  Hon.  Win.  Welsh,  John  Y.  Farwell,  George  H#  Stuart, 
Eobert  Campbell,  Wm.  E.  Dodge,  E.  S.  Tobey,  Felix  E.  Bruuot,  Nathan 
Bishop,  Henry  S.  Lane. 


B. 

EXECUTIVE  MANSION, 
Washington,  I).  (7.,  June  3,  1869. 

A  commission  of  citizens  having  been  appointed,  under  the  authority 
of  law,  to  co-operate  with  the  administrative  departments  in  the  man- 
agement of  Indian  affairs, consisting  of  Wm.  Welsh,  of  Philadelphia; 
John  V.  Farwell,  Chicago;  George  H.  Stuart,  Philadelphia;  Eobert 
Campbell,  St.  Louis ;  W.  E.  Dodge,  New  York ;  E.  S.  Tobey,  Boston ; 
Eelix  R.  Brunot,  Pittsburg;  Nathan  Bishop, New  York;  and  Henry  S. 
Lane,  Indiana — the  following  regulations  will,  till  further  directions, 
control  the  action  of  said  commission  and  of  the  Bureau  of  Indian  Af- 
fairs in  matters  coming  under  their  joint  supervision  : 

1.  The  commission  will  make  its  own  organization,  and  employ  its  own 
clerical  assistants,  keeping  its  u  necessary  expenses  of  transportation, 
subsistence,  and  clerk-hire,'  when  actually  engaged   in  said  service," 
within  the  amount  appropriated  therefor  by1  Congress. 

2.  The  commission  shall  be  furnished  with  full  opportunity  to  inspect 
the  records  of  the  Indian  Office,  and  to  obtain  full  information  as  to  the 
conduct  of  all  parts  of  the  affairs  thereof. 

3.  They  shall  have  full  power  to  inspect,  in  person  or  by  sub-commit- 
tee, the  various  Indian  superiutendeucies  and  agencies  in  the  Indian 
country;  to  be  present  at  payment  of  annuities,  at  consultations  or 
councils  with  the  Indians ;  and  when  on  the  ground,  to  advise  superin- 
tendents and  agents  in  the  performance  of  their  duties. 

4.  They  are  authorized  to  be  present,  in  person  or  by  sub-committee, 
at  purchases  of  goods  for  Indian  purposes,  and  inspect  said  purchases, 
advising  with  the  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs  in  regard  thereto. 

5.  Whenever  they  shall  deem  it  necessary  or  advisable  that  instruc- 
tions of  superintendents  or  agents  be  changed  or  modified,  they  will 
communicate  'such  advice,  through  the  office  of  the  Commissioner  of  In- 
dian Affairs,  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior ;  and,  in  like  manner,  their 
advice  as  to  changes  in  modes  of  purchasing  goods,  or  conducting  the 
affairs  of  the  Indian  Bureau  proper.     Complaints  against  superintend- 
ents, or  agents,  or  other  officers,  will,  in  the  same  manner,  be  forwarded 
to  the  Indian  Bureau  or  Department  of  the  Interior  for  action. 

6.  The  commission  will,  at  their  board  meetings,  determine  upon  the  re- 
commendations to  be  made  as  to  the  plans  of  civilizing  or  dealing  with  the 
Indians,  and  submit  the  same  for  action  in  the  manner  above  indicated ; 
and  all  plans  involving  the  expenditure  of  public  money  will  be  acted 
upon  by  the  Executive  or  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  before  expenditure 
is  made  under  the  same. 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    OX    INDIAN    AFFAIRS.  5 

7.  The  usual  modes  of   accounting    with  the   Treasury    cannot  be 
changed ;  and  all  the  expenditures,  therefore,  must  be  subject  to  the 
approvals  now  required  by  law  and  by  the  regulations  of  the  Treasury 
Department,  and  all  vouchers  must  conform  to  the  same  laws  and  re- 
quirements, and  pass  through  the  ordinary  channels. 

8.  All  the  officers  of  the  government  connected  with  the  Indian  ser- 
vice are  enjoined  to  afford  every  facility  and  opportunity  to  said  com- 
mission and  their  sub-committees  in  the  performance  of  their  duties, 
and  to  give  the  most  respectful  heed  to  their  advice  within  the  limits  of 
such  officers'  positive  instructions  from  their  superiors ;  to  allow  such 
commissioners  full' access  to  their  records  and  accounts ;  and  to  co-ope- 
rate witli  them  in  the  most  earnest  manner,  to  the  extent  of  their  proper 
powers,  in  the  general  work  of  civilizing  the  Indians,  protecting  them 
in  their  legal  rights,  and  stimulating  them  to  become  industrious  citizens 
in  permanent  homes,  instead  of  following  a  roving  and  savage  life. 

9.  The  commission  will  keep  such  records  or  minutes  of  their  proceed- 
ings as  may  be  necessary  to  afford  evidence  of  their  action,  and  will 
provide  for  the  manner  in  which  their  communications  with,  and  advice 
to,  the  government  shall  be  made  and  authenticated. 

U.  S.  GEAXT. 


C. 

PITTSBURGH,  November  23,  I860. 

SIR:  The  commission  of  citizens  appointed  by  the  President  under 
the  act  of  Congress  of  April  10,  1869,  to  co-operate  with  the  adminis- 
tration in  the  management  of  Indian  affairs,  respectfully  report : 

Pursuant  to  notice  from  your  department,  the  commissioners  met  in 
Washington,  on  the  26th  of  May,  and  organized  by  electing  William 
Welsh,  of  Philadelphia,  chairman,  and  Felix  E.  Brunot,  of  Pittsburg, 
secretary. 

The  board  indicated  their  willingness  to  accept  the  duties  proposed  in 
the  act,  and  adopted  the  following  minute : 

"  The  commission,  under  the  authority  of  the  President,  considers  itself 
clothed  with  full  power  to  examine  all  matters  appertaining  to  the  con- 
duct of  Indian  affairs,  and,  in  the  language  of  its  original  letter  of  ap- 
pointment, to  act  both  as  a  consulting  board  of  advisors,  and  through 
their  sub-committees  as  inspectors  of  the  agencies,  &c.,  in  the  Indian 
country." 

"The  commission  also  expresses  its  readiness  to  assume  the  additional 
responsibility  indicated  in  the  act  of  Congress,  so  far  as  the^  President 
may  designate.'" 

With  a  view  to  the  better  performance  of  these  duties,  the  board  di- 
vided into  three  committees,  for  the  purpose  of  visiting  the  Indian  agen- 
cies and  reservations.  The  regions  inhabited  by  Indians  was  corre- 
spondingly divided  into  three  districts. 

1.  The  northern,  comprising  all  Indians  in  and  east  of  Xebraska  and 
Dakota,  was  allotted  to  the  care  of  William  Welsh,  J.  V.  Farwell,  E,  S. 
Tobey. 

2.  The  southern,  including  all  in  and  south  of  Kansas,  to  Felix  E. 
Brunot,  Xathan  Bishop,  and  Hon.  Win.  E.  Dodge. 

3.  Western  division,  to  Eobert  Campbell,  George  H.  Stuart,  and  Hon. 
H.  S.  Lane. 

The  board  appointed  Messrs.  Stuart,  Farwell,  Campbell,  and  Dodge, 


6  EEPORT    OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

a  committee  to  co-operate  with  the  government  in  the  purchase  of  goods 
and  supplies  for  the  Indian  department.  Important  recommendations 
were  also  made,  which  have  been  already  submitted. 

On  the  3d  of  June  the  President  of  the  United  States  issued  an  ex- 
ecutive order  confirming  the  powers  of  the  commissioners,  and  defining 
their  duties  as  indicated  and  accepted  at  a  personal  interview  during 
the  session  of  the  board.  Subsequently  to  the  adjournment  the  chair- 
man addressed  a  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  which  it  is 
proper  to  say  did  not  meet  with  the  concurrence  of  the  other  members 
of  the  commission. 

The  board  have  entire  confidence  in  the  design  of  the  administration 
to  carry  out  the  system  of  reform  in  the  management  of  Indian  a  ft  airs 
upon  which  it  has  entered.  Nor  do  we  deem  it  expedient  that  the  com- 
mission should  be  charged  with  the  expenditure  of  any  portion  of  the 
Indian  appropriations,  or  any  responsibility  connected  therewith,  further 
than  is  involved  in  their  general  advisory  powers.  On  the  29th  of  June 
Mr.  Welsh  resigned  his  office  of  commissioner.  The  board  held  no 
meeting  until  the  17th  of  the  present  month,  when,  upon  receiving  offi- 
cial notice  that  the  resignation  had  been  accepted  by  the  President, 
Felix  E.  Brunot  was  selected  to  fill  the  vacancy  in  the  chairmanship, 
and  J.  V.  Farwell  elected  secretary. 

Owing  to  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Welsh,  the  ill  health  of  Messrs. 
Stuart,  Tobey,  and  Lane,  at  the  time  when  visits  to  the  Indian  country 
were  deemed  expedient,  and  the  pressure  of  other  duties  upon  the  re- 
maining members  of  the  commission,  the  southern  district  only  was 
visited.  The  report  of  the  sub-committee  on  that  district  has  been 
adopted  by  the  board,  and  directed  to  be  incorporated  in  the  present 
report.  It  is  accordingly  submitted  herewith. 

Vincent  Colyer,  of  New  York,  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  com- 
mission in  July,  and  (without  having  had  any  opportunity  to  consult 
with  the  commission)  is  now  absent  on  a  visit  of  inspection  to  tribes  on 
the  Pacific  coast. 

Owing  to  the  fact  that  the  spring  purchases  of  Indian  goods  had  been 
provided  for  previous  to  the  organization  of  the  commission,  the  com- 
mittee to  co-operate  in  purchases  could  effect  nothing  in  regard  to  them. 
The  bids  for  the  fall  purchases  were  opened  and  the  contracts  awarded 
under  the  supervision  of  Hon.  George  H.  Stuart,  and  the  goods  in- 
spected after  their  delivery  under  the  same  supervision.  It  is  believed 
that  in  this  case  the  government  *and  the  Indians  have  received  full 
value  for  the  money  expended.  The  commissioners  are  convinced  that 
strict  impartiality  in  the  reception  of  bids,  and  the  allotment  of  con- 
tracts, and  a  system  of  rigid  inspection  after  the  goods  have  been  de- 
livered in  a  government  warehouse,  will,  by  inviting  honorable  competi- 
tion, securing  a  quality  of  goods  equal  to  the  samples  offered  for,  and 
preventing  frauds,  save  large  sums  of  money  to  the  government. 

It  is  not  proposed  to  make  this  report  either  final  or  in  any  degree 
exhaustive.  In  its  moral  and  political,  as  well  as  economic  aspects,  the 
Indian  question  is  one  of  the  gravest  importance.  The  difficulties  which 
surround  it  are  of  a  practical  nature,  as  are  also  the  duties  of  the  com- 
mission with  reference  to  them.  We  cannot  offer  recommendations  as 
the  result  of  theorizing,  but  must  reach  our  conclusions  through  per- 
sonal observation  and  knowledge,as  well  as  testimony.  The  comparatively 
short  period  of  the  existence  of  the  commission,  and  the  preventing 
causes  already  mentioned,  compel  the  board  to  pass  over,  for  the  pres- 
ent, some  of  the  important  points  which  have  occupied  their  attention. 
Should  the  commission  be  continued,  it  is  hoped  that  visits  of  inspec- 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS.  7 

tion  to  the  reservations  will,  in  each,  case,  be  productive  of  benefits,  and 
the  aggregate  of  the  information  acquired  will  enable  the  board  to  make 
important  suggestions,  for  which  it  is  not  now  prepared.  Should  the 
commission  be  discontinued,  it  is  hoped  some  other  permanent  super- 
visory body  will  be  created,  which,  in  its  material,  office,  and  powers,  shall 
be  as  far  as  possible  beyond  suspicion  of  selfish  motives  or  personal 
profits  in  connection  with  its  duties. 

While  it  cannot  be  denied  that  the  government  of  the  United  States, 
in  the  general  terms  and  temper  of  its  legislation,  has  evinced  a  desire 
to  deal  generously  with  the  Indians,  it  must  be  admitted  that  the  actual 
treatment  they  have  received  has  been  unjust  and  iniquitous  beyond  the 
power  of  word's  to  express. 

Taught  by  the  government  that  they  had  rights  entitled  to  respect; 
when  those  rights  have  been  assailed  by  the  rapacity  of  the  white  man, 
the  arm  which  should  have  been  raised  to  protect  them  has  been  ever 
ready  to  sustain  the  aggressor. 

The_  history  of  the  government  connections  with  the  Indians  is  a 
shameful  record  of  broken  treaties  and  unfulfilled  promises. 

The  history  of  the  border  white  man's  connection  with  the  Indians  is 
a  sickening  record  of  murder,  outrage,  robbery,  and  wrongs  committed 
by  the  former  as  the  rule,  and  occasional  savage  outbreaks  and  unspeak- 
ably barbarous  deeds  of  retaliation  by  the  latter  as  the  exception. 

The  class  of  hardy  men  on  the  frontier  who  represent  the  highest  type 
of  the  energy  and  enterprise  of  the  American  people,  and  are  just  and 
honorable  in  their  sense  of  moral  obligation  and  their  appreciations  of 
the  rights  of  others,  have  been  powerless  to  prevent  these  wrongs,  and 
have  been  too  often  the  innocent  sufferers  from  the  Indians'  revenge. 
That  there  are  many  good  men  on  the  border  is  a  subject  of  congratula- 
tion, and  the  files  of  the  Indian  Bureau  attest  that  among  them  are 
found  some  of  the  most  earnest  remonstrants  against  the  evils  we  are 
compelled  so  strongly  to  condemn. 

The  testimony  of  some  of  the  highest  military  officers  of  the  United 
States  is  on  record  to  the  effect  that,  in  our  Indian  wars,  almost  with- 
out exception,  the  first  aggressions  have  been  made  by  the  white  man, 
and  the  assertion  is  supported  by  every  civilian  of  reputation  who  has 
studied  the  subject.  In  addition  to  the  class  of  robbers  and  outlaws 
who  find  impunity  in  their  nefarious  pursuits  upon  the  frontiers,  there 
is  a  large  class  of  professedly  reputable  men  who  use  every  means  in 
their  power  to  bring  oil  Indian  wars,  for  the  sake  of  the  pruiit  to  be 
realized  from  the  presence  of  troops  and  the  expenditure  of  government 
funds  in  their  midst.  They  proclaim  death  to  the  Indians  at  all  times, 
in  words  and  publications,  making  no  distinction  between  the  innocent 
and  the  guilty.  They  incite  the  lowest  class  of  men  to  the  perpetration 
of  the  darkest  deeds  against  their  victims,  and,  as  judges  and  jurymen, 
shield  them  from  the  justice  due  to  their  crimes.  Every  crime  com- 
mitted by  a  white  man  against  an  Indian  is  concealed  or  palliated ;  every 
offense  committed  by  an  Indian  against  a  white  man  is  borne  on  the 
wings  of  the  post  or  the  telegraph  to  the  remotest  corner  of  the  land, 
clothed  with  all  the  horrors  which  the  reality  or  imagination  can 
throw  around  it.  Against  such  influences  as  these  the  people  of  the 
United  States  need  to  be  warned.  The  murders,  robberies^druukeu  riots 
and  outrages  perpetrated  by  Indians  in  time  of  peace — taking  into  con- 
sideration the  relative  population  of  the  races  on  the  frontier — do  not 
amount  to  a  tithe  of  the  number  of  like  crimes  committed  by  white  men 
in  the  border  settlements  and  towns.  Against  the  inhuman  idea  that 
the  Indian  is  only  lit  to  be  exterminated,  and  the  influence  of  the  men  who 


8  REPORT    OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN  AFFAIRS. 

propagate  it,  the  military  arm  of  the  government  cannot  be  too  strongly 
guarded.  It  is  hardly  to  be  wondered  at  that  inexperienced  officers, 
ambitious  for  distinction,  when  surrounded  by  such  influences,  have 
been  incited  to  attack  Indian  bands  without  adequate  cause,  and  involve 
the  nation  in  an  unjust  war.  It  should,  at  least,  be  understood  that  in 
the  future  such  blunders  should  cost  the  officer  his  commission,  and  that- 
such  distinction  is  infamy. 

Paradoxical  as  it  may  seem,  the  white  man  has  been  the  chief  obstacle 
in  the  way  of  Indian  civilization.  The  benevolent  measures  attempted 
by  the  government  for  their  advancement  have  been  almost  uniformly 
thwarted  by  the  agencies  employed  to  carry  them  out.  The  soldiers, 
sent  for  their  protection,  too  often  carried  demoralization  and  disease 
into  their  midst.  The  agent,  appointed  to  be  their  friend  and  counsellor, 
business  manager,  and  the  almoner  of  the  government  bounties,  fre- 
quently went  among  them  only  to  enrich  himself  in  the  shortest  possi- 
ble time,  at  the  cost  of  the  Indians,  and  spend  the  largest  available  sum 
of  the  government  money  with  the  least  ostensible  beneficial  result.  The 
general  interest  of  the  trader  was  opposed  to  their  enlightenment  as  tend- 
ing to  lessen  his  profits.  Any  increase  of  intelligence  would  render 
them  less  liable  to  his  impositions ;  and,  if  occupied  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits, their  product  of  furs  would  be  proportionally  decreased.  The  con- 
tractor's and  transporter's  interests  were  opposed  to  it,  for  the  reason  that 
the  production  of  agricultural  products  on  the  spot  would  measurably 
cut  off  their  profits  in  furnishing  army  supplies.  The  interpreter  knew 
that  if  they  were  taught,  his  occupation  would  be  gone.  The  more  sub- 
missive and  patient  the  tribe,  the  greater  the  number  of  outlaws  infest- 
ing their  vicinity ;  and  all  these  were  the  missionaries  teaching  them  the 
most  degrading  vices  of  which  humanity  is  capable.  If  in  spite  of  these 
obstacles  a  tribe  made  some  progress  in  agriculture,  or  their  lauds  became 
valuable  from  any  cause,  the  process  of  civilization  was  summarily 
ended  by  driving  them  away  from  their  homes  with  fire  and  sword,  to 
undergo  similar  experiences  in  some  new  locality. 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  original"  character  of  the  aborigines, 
many  of  them  are  now  precisely  what  the  course  of  treatment  received 
from  the  whites  must  necessarily  have  made  them — suspicious,  revenge- 
ful, and  cruel  in  their  retaliation.  In  war  they  know  no  distinction 
between  the  innocent  and  the  guilty.  In  his  most  savage  vices  the 
worst  Indian  is  but  the  imitator  of  bad  white  men  on  the  border.  To 
assume  that  all  of  them,  or  even  a  majority  of  them,  may  be  so  charac- 
terized with  any  degree  of  truthfulness,  would  be  no  more  just  than  to 
assume  the  same  of  all  the  white  people  upon  the  frontier.  Some  of  the 
tribes,  as  a  whole,  are  peaceful  and  industrious  to  the  extent  of,  their 
knowledge,  needing  only  protection,  and  a  reasonable  amount  of  aid  and 
Christian  instruction,  to  insure  the  rapid  attainment  of  habits  of  indus- 
try, and  a  satisfactory  advance  toward  civilization.  Even  among  the 
wildest  of  the  nomadic  tribes  there  are  large  bauds,  and  many  individ- 
uals in  other  bands,  who  are  anxious  to  remain  quietly  upon  their  reser- 
vation, and  are  patiently  awaiting  the  fulfillment  of  the  government 
promise  that  they  and  their  children  shall  be  taught  to  "  live  like  the 
white  man." 

To  assert  that "  the  Indian  will  not  work"  is  as  true  as  it  would  be  to  say 
that  the  white  man  will  not  work.  In  all  countries  there  are  non-work- 
ing classes.  The  chiefs  and  warriors  are  the  Indian  aristocracy.  They 
need  only  to  be  given  incentives  to  induce  them  to  work.  Why  should 
the  Indian  be  expected  to  plant  corn,  fence  lands,  build  houses,  or  do 
anything  but  get  food  from  day  to  day,  when  experience  has  taught  him 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS.  9 

that  tlio  product  of  his  labor  will  be  seized  by  the  white  man  to-morrow  ? 
The  most  industrious  white  man  would  become  a  drone  under  similar 
circumstances.  Nevertheless,  many  of  the  Indians  are  already  at  work, 
and  furnish  ample  refutation  of  the  assertion  that  "  the  Indian  will  not 
work."  There  is  no  escape  from  the  inexorable  logic  of  facts. 

The  Choctaws,  Chickasaws,  Cherokees,  and  Creeks,  as  farmers,  com- 
pare favorably  with  the  whites.  They  have  each  organized  systems  of 
government  similar  to  our  own,  with  legislative  assemblies,  judiciary 
department,  and  a  good  system  of  common  schools.  The  agent,  in  his 
report  of  1868,  said,  "  The  Cherokees  are  well  advanced  in  civilization 
and  refinement ;  they  have  a  number  of  citizens  who  would  compare 
favorably  with  the  politicians,  statesmen,  jurists,  and  divines  of  some 
of  the  States  of  the  Union." 

The  Seminoles  have  also  made  much  progress  in  agriculture.  When 
originally  removed  to  the  Indian  territory,  these  tribes  were  among  the 
least  promising  of  all  for  the  experiment  of  civilization.  The  progress 
they  have  made  is  in  a  great  degree  due  to  their  comparative  isolation 
from  the  whites,  and  that  they  have  been  exceptions  from  the  rule  of 
frequent  removal. 

Eight  years  ago  the  Sioux  of  the  northwest  were  engaged  in  cruel  and 
relentless  war  against  the  border  settlements ;  to-day  there  is  a  band — the 
Santee  Sioux — numbering  about  one  thousand  souls,  living  in  log  houses, 
cultivating  the  soil  industriously,  wearing  civilized  garments,  and  attend- 
ing church  on  Sunday  like  any  other  orderly  civilized  community. 

Another  band,  the  Yanctons,  2,500  in  number,  have  settled  on  their 
reservation  and  commenced  to  labor. 

A  letter  of  J.  V.  Farwell,  one  of  the  commissioners,  which  is  herewith 
transmitted,  says  of  the  Indians  in  Utah:  "Colonel  Head,  the  Indian 
agent  of  that  Territory,  in  which  there  are  some  25,000  Indians,  said  to 
me  that  he  had  demonstrated  the  fact  that  the  Indians  could  be  made 
to  work  and  support  themselves  in  a  very  few  years,  with  proper  man- 
agement. 

"  One  tribe,  numbering  2,500,  with  the  aid  of  $5,000,  had  this  season 
raised  $30,000  worth  of  crops ;  another  of  1,500,  with  $500  aid,  raised 
$10,000;  another  of  1,000,  with  $500  aid,  had  raised  $5.000  of  crops; 
another  of  500,  with  8350  aid,  had  raised  $1,000  worth  of  crops;  another 
had  four  farms,  upon  which,  with  $500  aid,  they  had  raised  $7,000  worth 
of  crops.  One  tribe  has  five  thousand  peach  trees  planted,  and  raised 
by  themselves.  All  the  above  results  have  been  reached  in  three  years' 
work  by  the  government." 

The  reports  of  the  Indian  Bureau  will  be  found  to  abound  in  facts 
going  to  prove  that  the  Indian,  as  a  race,  can  be  induced  to  work,  is 
susceptible  of  civilization,  and  presents  a  most  inviting  field  for  the 
introduction  of  Christianity. 

The  policy  of  collecting  the  Indian  tribes  upon  small  reservations  con- 
tiguous to  each  other,  and  within  the  limits  of  a  large  reservation,  event- 
ually to  become  a  State  of  the  Union,  and  of  which  the  small  reserva- 
tions will  probably  be  the  counties,  seems  to  be  the  best  that  can  be 
devised.  Many  tribes  may  thus  be  collected  in  the  present  Indian  ter- 
ritory. The  larger  the  number  that  can  be  thus  concentrated  the  better 
for  the  success  of  the  plan ;  care  being  taken  to  separate  hereditary 
enemies  from  each  other.  When  upon  the  reservation  they  should  be 
taught  as  soon  as  possible  the  advantage  of  individual  ownership  of 
property ;  and  should  be  given  land  in  severalty  as  soon  as  it  is  desired 
by  any  of  them,  and  the  tribal  relations  should  be  discouraged.  To 
facilitate  the  future  allotment  of  the  land  the  agricultural  portions  of 


10  REPORT    OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

the  reservations  should  be  surveyed  as  soon  as  it  can  be  done  without 
too  much  exciting  their  apprehensions.  The  titles  should  be  inalienable 
from  the  family  of  the  holder  for  at  least  two  or  three  generations.  The 
civilized  tribes  now  in  the  Indian  territory  should  be  taxed,  and  made 
citizens  of  the  United  States  as  soon  possible. 

The  treaty  system  should  be  abandoned,  and  as  soon  as  any  just 
method  can  be  devised  to  accomplish  it,  existing  treaties  should  be 
abrogated. 

The  legal  status  of  the  uncivilized  Indians  should  be  that  of  wards  of 
the  government ;  the  duty  of  the  latter  being  to  protect  them,  to  edu- 
cate them  in  industry,  the  arts  of  civilization,  and  the  principles  of 
Christianity ;  elevate  them  to  the  rights  of  citizenship,  and  to  sustain 
and  clothe  them  until  they  can  support  themselves. 

The  payment  of  money  annuities  to  the  Indians  should  be  abandoned, 
for  the  reason  that  such  payments  encourage  idleness  and  vice,  to  the 
injury  of  those  whom  it  is  intended  to  benefit.  Schools  should  be  estab- 
lished, and  teachers  employed  by  the  government  to  introduce  the  Eng- 
lish language  in  every  tribe.  It  is  believed  that  many  of  the  difficulties 
with  Indians  occur  from  misunderstandings  as  to  the  meaning  and  in- 
tention of  either  party.  The  teachers  employed  should  be  nominated 
by  some  religious  body  having  a  mission  nearest  to  the  location  of  the 
school.  The  establishment  of  Christian  missions  should  be  encouraged, 
and  their  schools  fostered.  The  pupils  should  at  least  receive  the  rations 
and  clothing  they  would  get  if  remaining  with  their  families.  The 
religion  of  our  blessed  Saviour  is  believed  to  be  the  most  effective  agent 
for  the  civilization  of  any  people. 

A  reversal  of  the  policy  which  has  heretofore  prevailed,  of  taking  the 
goods  of  the  peaceable  and  industrious  and  giving  them  to  the  vicious 
and  unruly,  should  be  insisted  on.  Every  means  in  the  power  of  the 
government  and  its  agents  should  bo  employed  to  render  settlement  and 
industrious  habits  on  the  reservation  attractive  and  certain  in  its  rewards. 
Experience  has  already  shown  that  this  is  the  best  mode  of  inducing  the 
Indians  to  settle  upon  their  reservations. 

The  honest  and  prompt  performance  of  all  the  treaty  obligations  to 
the  reservation  Indians  is  absolutely  necessary  to  success  in  the  benevo- 
lent designs  of  the  administration.  There  should  be  no  further  delay  in 
the  erection  of  the  promised  dwellings,  school-houses,  mills,  &c.,  and  the 
opening  of  the  farms  and  furnishing  instructors.  There  can  be  no  ques- 
tion or  doubt  as  to  the  wisdom  of  the  President  in  selecting  Indian  super- 
intendents and  agents  with  a  view  to  their  moral  as  well  as  business 
qualifications,  and  aside  from  any  political  considerations.  There  should 
be  some  judicial  tribunal  constituted  within  the  Indian  territory  com- 
petent to  the  prompt  punishment  of  crime,  whether  committed  by  white 
man,  Indian,  or  negro.  The  agent  upon  the  reservation  in  which  the 
offense  is  committed,  the  agent  of  the  next  nearest  reservation,  and  the 
nearest  post  commander  might  constitute  a  court,  all  the  agents  being 
clothed  with  the  necessary  powers.  The  Indian  treaties  we  have  exam- 
ined provide,  in  effect,  that  proof  of  any  offense  committed  by  a  white 
man  against  an  Indian  shall  be  made  before  the  agent,  who  shall  trans- 
mit the  same  to  the  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  who  shall  proceed 
to  cause  the  offender  to  be  arrested  and  tried  by  the  laws  of  the  United 
States.  If  the  Indian  commits  an  offense,  he  shall  be  given  up  to  be 
tried  by  the  laws  of. the  United  States.  It  is  a  long  process  to  get  a 
white  man  tried;  a  shorter  one  for  the  Indian,  in  proportion  to  the  dif- 
ference in  distance*between  the  agency  and  the  nearest  white  settlement 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS.  11 

and  tli at  to  Washington  City  j  and  in  the  trials  the  Indian  never  escapes 
punishment ;  the  white  man  rarely  fails  to  be  acquitted. 

Such  further  suggestions  as  the  board  is  prepared  to  make  will  be 
found  in  the  report  of  the  sub-committee  attached. 

The  commissioners  are  gratified  to  believe  that  their  views  fully  accord 
with  the  general  policy  announced  by  the  President. 

They  desire  also  to  express  their  obligations  for  the  uniform  courtesy 
and  cordial  co-operation  which  has  everywhere  met  them  in  the  perform- 
ance of  their  duties. 

The  papers  herewith  submitted  are :  first,  report  of  sub-committee  and 
appendix ;  second,  letter  of  J.  V.  Farwell,  member  of  commission ;  third, 
letter  of  Vincent  Colyer,  member  of  commission,  on  Indians  in  Indian 
Territory,  New  Mexico.,  and  Arizona;  fourth,  letter  of  Vincent  Colyer, 
member  of  commission,  on  Indians  in  Alaska. 
Eespectfully  submitted. 

FELIX  E.  BEUNOT, 

Chairman. 

EOBEET  CAMPBELL. 
H.  S.  LANE. 
W.  E.  DODGE. 
NATHAN  BISHOP. 
JOHN  V.  FARWELL. 
VINCENT  COLYEE. 
GEOEGE  II.  STUART. 
EDWAED  S.  TOBEY. 


Cl. 

OCTOBER  20,  1869. 
TV  the  Board  of  Commissioners : 

The  sub-committee,  charged  by  the  board  with  the  duty  of  visiting  the 
Indians  in  the  southern  part  of  Kansas  and  the  Indian  territory,  having 
performed  so  much  of  the  duty  assigned  to  us  as  our  time  would  permit, 
respectfully  report: 

The  committee  met  in  Chicago  on  the  23d  day  of  July,  and,  after  an 
interview  with  Brevet  Major  General  Hartsuff — General  Sheridan  being 
absent — proceeded  immediately  to  Fort  Leaven  worth,  Lawrence,  and 
Fort  Marker,  for  the  purpose  of  interviews  with  the  military  commander 
of  the  district,  Superintendent  Hoag,  and  Brevet  Major  General  Ha /en, 
the  last  named  having  just  arrived  from  Fort  Sill.  It  was  the  design  of 
the  committee  to  visit  first  the  agencies  in  Southern  Kansas,  but,  becom- 
ing couviuced  that  the  time  at  our  disposal  was  too  limited  for  the  per- 
formance of  all  the  duty  intended,  we  decided  to  proceed  at  once  to  the 
reservations  of  the  wild  and  roving  tribes  in  the  western  part  of  the 
Indian  territory.  Leaving  Fort  Hays  on  the  morning  of  the  30th  of 
July,  we  arrived  at  Fort  Dodge  on  the  3d  of  August,  and  Camp  Supply 
on  the  7th.  After  consultation  with  Colonel  Nelson  and  Major  Page, 
the  military  officers  in  command,  it  was  decided  to  hold  a  council  with 
the  Arapahoes  and  Cheyennes,  on  Monday,  the  9th,  at  Colonel  Nelson's 
quarters,  and  messages  were  sent  to  both  tribes  to  that  effect. 

Camp  Supply  is  situated  near  the  junction  of  Wolf  and  Beaver  Creeks, 
which  together  form  the  North  Fork  of  the  Canadian  Eiver,  a  few  miles 
east  of  the  one  hundredth  parallel  of  west  longitude.  The  post  consists 
of  low  stockade  cabins,  roofed  with  timber  arid  earth  for  the  officers' 


12  EEPOET    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

quarters,  and  cabins  partially  dug  out  for  the  barracks  and  storehouses. 
The  cavalry  command  of  Colonel  Xelson  occupied  tents. 

The  camp  is  not  within  the  limits  of  the  reservation,  as  defined  in  the 
treaty  of  Medicine  Creek  Lodge,  and  is  more  than  one  hundred  miles 
southwest  of  the  place  which  has  been  selected  for  the  agency. 

The  Arapaho  village,  at  the  time  of  our  visit,  was  about  two  miles 
from  the  post ;  that  of  the  Cheyennes  about  twelve  miles  distant.  The 
number  of  the  Arapahoes  was  stated  to  be  1,600;  that  of  the  Cheveunes, 
1,800. 

On  Monday  the  entire  tribe  of  the  Arapahoes  carne  to  the  post,  but 
the  Cheyennes  did  not  arrive,  and  it  was  deemed  inexpedient  to  postpone 
the  council.  On  the  10th  both  tribes  were  assembled  at  the  appointed 
hour.  All  the  chiefs  and  warriors  took  part  in  the  council,  and  gave 
indications  during  its  progress,  in  their  peculiar  way,  of  deep  interest 
and  general  satisfaction  with  the  proceedings.  Oh-lms-tee,  or  Little 
Raven,  and  Medicine  Arrow,  the  chiefs  and  orators  of  their  respective 
tribes,  expressed  very  earnestly  their  determination  to  maintain  the 
peace  to  which  they  pledged  their  people,  and  to  follow  the  advice  of  the 
commissioners,  and  do  whatever  the  government  required  of  them.  A 
report  of  the  address  of  the  commissioners  and  the  replies  of  the  chiefs 
was  forwarded  to  General  Parker  on  the  10th  of  August,  to  which  you 
are  respectfully  referred,  as  properly  forming  a  part  of  the  present  report. 
Medicine  Arrow  pledged  himself  to  bring  all  the  northern  Cheyennes  to 
Camp  Supply,  in  consideration  of  which  the  commissioners  gave  him,  in 
behalf  of  the  government,  a  written  promise  of  protection  on  their  way 
•and  after  their  arrival.  Some  of  those  present  understood  Medicine 
Arrow  to  mean  by  the  "northern  Cheyennes,"  that  part  of  his  tribe  still 
at  war  in  Kansas.  If  he  intended  the  entire  band  of  northern  Chey- 
ennes, and  can  fulfill  his  pledge,  the  result  will  be  still  more  satisfactory. 
A  baud  numbering  ,  being  the  same  which  was  so  severely  pun- 
ished by  General  Carr,  reached  Camp  Supply  in  September,  and  another 
party  of  about  one  hundred  crossed  the  railroad  forty  miles  east  of  Fort 
Hays  in  the  beginning  of  the  present  month,  on  their  way  southward. 

The  following  is  the  report  above  alluded  to : 

CAMP  SUPPLY,  August  10,  1869. 

DEAR  SIR  :  I  herewith  send  yon  a  copy  of  the  minutes  in  full  of  the  council  held 
to-day  with  the  Arapahoes  and  Cheyennes. 

The  paper  forming  the  concluding  page  is  deemed  of  much  importance,  and  if  the 
chief  of  the  Cheyennes  has  the  power  to  accomplish  his  pledge,  the  result  will  amply 
repay  for  the  expedition  of  the  committee. 

Colonel  Nelson  is  to  give  a  small  escort,  and  Medicine  Arrow  will  at  once  send  five  of 
his  principal  men  who  will  find  their  way  to  the  northern  Cheyennes,  and  it  is  hoped  bo 
successful  in  bringing  them  to  the  reservation.  At  the  close  of  the  council  the  com- 
mittee distributed  one  thousand  pounds  sugar,  five  hundred  pounds  coffee,  and  about 
one  thousand  four  hundred  pounds  hard  bread,  for  reasons  deemed  important. 

The  committee  have  agreed  to  recommend  earnestly  that  ration,  of  coffee  and  sugar 
be  regularly  issued  as  a  part  of  the  ration  of  these  Indians.  We  are,  also,  fully  im- 
pressed with  the  belief  that  the  reservation  marked  on  the  maps,  as  defined  by  the 
treaty,  is  in  many  respects  unfitted  for  the  Cheyennes  and  Arapahoes.  They  are  will- 
ing to  remain  on  the  North  Fork  of  the  Canadian,  occupying  the  country  not  too  far 
eastward  from  Camp  Supply.  It  seems  to  be  a  good  country,  capable  of  cultivation, 
and  we  are  of  the  opinion  that  it  would  be  unwise  to  force  them  away  from  it.  Mr. 
Darlington,  their  agent,  arrived  here  to-night  with  the  Quaker  committee,  but  we  have 
not  seen  them  ;  after  an  interview  in  the  morning,  our  committee  propose  to  start  for 
Medicine  Bluffs.  If  it  is  decided  to  allow  the  Indians  to  remain  on  the  North  Fork  of 
the  Canadian,  the  location  of  the  agency  should  at  once  be  selected  and  preparations 
made  for  the  winter.  The  carrier  waits  for  my  letter. 
Eespectfullv,  your  obedient  servant, 

FELIX  R.  BRUNOT, 
Chairman  Special  Commission,  <fc. 

Hon.  E.  S.  PARKER,  Commissioner. 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    OX    INDIAN   AFFAIRS.  13 

CAMP  SUPPLY,  Auyutt  10,  1869. 

The  committee  of  the  United  States  special  Indian  commission  arrived  at  this  place 
on  Saturday  last,  and  to-day  have  held  a  council  with  the  Cheyennes  and  Arapahoes. 
The  T.-i!k  was  in  many  respects  more  satisfactory  than  we  anticipated,  and  the  result 
we  hope  will  be  very  important. 

The  Indians  seem  to  have  been  expecting  us  for  some  time,  and  during  the  afternoon 
Medicine  Arrow,  head  chief  of  the  Cheyennes,  and  Little  Raven,  of  the  Arapahoes, 
came  to  know  when  we  would  have  a  talk.  Monday  was  appointed;  and  yesterday  the 
Arapahoes  arrived  in  full  force,  but  the  Cheyennes  did  not  come.  In  the  evening 
Medicine  Arrow  came  with  several  other  chiefs,  making  excuse  that  they  were  not  no- 
tified. They  were  made  to  understand  that  the  council  would  be  held  Tuesday,  and 
the  commission  would  go  away  Wednesday  morning,  and  did  not  care  whether  they 
came  or  not.  If  they  did  not  want  to  come  they  could  stay  away.  Medicine  Arrow 
then  said  they  would  all  come  in  the  morning.  About  ten  they  arrived,  and  by  noon 
both  tribes  were  assembled.  Most  of  the  chiefs  were  present,  the  absent  ones  being  en- 
gaged in  a  ceremony  which  began  three  days  ago  and  would  end  to-morrow.  Mr. 
Brunot  opened  the  council  by  saying :  "  God  who  made  the  plains,  the  buffalo,  the  white 
man,  and  the  Indian,  is  looking  into  our  hearts.  When  the  white  men  hold  a  great 
council  we  a.sk  Him  to  make  all  our  hearts  right  and  our  tongues  good,  and  our  words 
true.  We  want  to  ask  God  to  make  our  hearts  right,  and  our  speech  clear  as  the  sun, 
and  straight  as  an  arrow.  He  would  ask  one  of  the  commissioners  to  pray  for  this." 

After  the  short,  appropriate  prayer,  during  which  the  Indians  stood  reverently,  with 
clasped  hands,  he  resumed  : 

"  The  Great  Father  at  Washington  has  sent  ns  to  shake  hands  with  the  Arapahoes 
and  Cheyennes.  He  wants  to  know  how  you  do.  He  wants  to  know  if  you  like  your 
reservation.  If  you  will  promise  to  remain  upon  it  and  try  to  do  right,  you  are  now 
his  brothers.  The  white  people  in  Kansas  and  Texas  are  his  sons  and  daughters.  His 
brothers  must  not  kill  his  children.  They  must  not  steal  their  cattle  and  horses. 

"When  the  wolf  prowls  about  the  camp  he  must  be  killed;  let  not  our  brothers,  the 
Cheyennes  and  Arapahoes,  be  like  tbe  wolves.  Let  them  be  the  white  man's  brothers 
everywhere.  The  great  Washington  Father  told  us  to  talk  straight  from  the  heart  and 
tell  you  he  wants  yon  to  be  hi.s  children.  Also,  he  wants  you  to  live  like  the  white 
man.  When  there  is  much  wood  the  camp-tires  burn  bright  and  high;  when  the  wood 
is  scarce  the  camp-fires  burn  low;  when  it  is  all  gone  the  tire  dies  out.  When  the  sun 
shines  it  is  bright  and  warm ;  when  it  goes  behind  the  hill  it  docs  not  die — it  is  bright 
and  warm  every  day.  It  will  never  die  out.  The  white  man  is  like  the  sun.  The  red 
man  is  like  the  camp-fire. 

"  The  buffalo  are  getting  scarcer  every  day.  If  you  do  not  learn  to  live  like  the  white 
man  your  nation  will  die  out  like  the  camp-fires.  If  you  learn  to  be  white  men  you 
will  always  grow  bright  like  the  sun.  There  are  some  bad  white  men;  you  must  not 
Vie  like  them.  There  are  good  white  men ;  the  Great  Father  wants  yon  to  be  like  them. 
1  Ie  wants  to  send  you  good  agents  and  teachers  to  show  you  how  to  live  like  good  white 
men.  Do  you  want  to  do  this  f  If  you  will  try,  the  Great  Father  will  help  you.  The 
commissioners  sent  by  the  Great  Father  have  come  a  long  ways  to  see  you ;  we  are 
your  friends;  I  have  talked  straight  from  the  heart.  What  do  the  Arapaho  and 
Cheyenne  chiefs  say?  We  will  carry  your  words  to  the  Great  Father  at  Washington  : 
we  want  them  to  be  good." 

After  some  talk  among  the  chiefs,  Little  Raven  spoke  in  reply  with  great  earnestness, 
appealing  first  to  the  Cheyennes.  They  had  been  brothers  for  a  long  time;  they  had 
camped,  and  made  war,  and  hunted  together.  He  hoped  they  would  listen  to  his  words 
and  make  them  their  own.  Here  are  white  chiefs  from  Washington  and  soldier  chiefs. 
What  they  say  is  good.  Here  is  the  opportunity  for  the  Cheyeunes  and  Arapabos.  It 
is  their  good  chance  ;  they  must  keep  it.  (Then  turning  to  the  commissioners:)  We 
Avill  do  right.  Many  bad  things  had  been  done;  this  day  all  the  bad  is  washed  out. 
We  are  here  together  at  peace  :  we  will  always  remain  at  peace  ;  we  wish  our  children 
to  live  and  not  perish.  Tell  the  great  Washington  Father  this.  We  love  our  wives  and 
our  children.  We  do  not  want  any  more  soldiers  to  come  here  to  take  away  our  wives 
and  our  children.  We  will  try  to  do  all  that  our  Great  Father  wants  us  to  do.  As  to 
the  reservation  we  want  it  to  be  along  this  stream,  (the  North  Fork  of  Canadian,  on 
which  Camp  Supply  is  located.)  not  too  far  down  from  this,  for  we  do  not  want  to  be 
near  bad  men.  We  do  not  want  to  go  near  the  Osages,  who  steal  our  horses,  and  we  do 
not  want  to  go  further  north  on  account  of  troubles;  we  want  to  stay  on  this  stream. 
Another  thing,  we  want  the  traders  to  come  with  goods  and  they  will  not  be  molested. 
We  are  prepared  to  trade  with  them.  From  this  day  is  peace.  He  wanli-d  n>  tell  the 
commissioners  that  they  did  not  want  to  Vie  understood  as  promising  to  make  peace 
with  their  enemies  the  Pawnees  and  Utahs.  We  have  made  peace  to-day  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Great  Spirit,  in  the  presence  of  the  Great  Father's  chiefs,  in  the  presence  of 
the  soldier  chiefs,  and  of  our  own  soldiers.  It  will  last  always.  Our  young  men  would 
like  to  be  glad.  Your  soldiers  have  a  feast,  they  would  like  to  eat  with  them  and  be 
glad. 


14  EEPOKT    OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN  AFFAIRS. 

He  asked  about  their  goods  when  they  would  come.  In  reply,  he  was  told  the  com- 
missioners would  only  say  their  goods  were  kept  away  on  account  of  the  war.  They 
must  expect  the  Great  Father  to  do  right  and  send  some  goods  as  soon  as  it  can  be 
done.  He  wanted  their  rations  of  sugar  and  coffee  to  be  given,  even  if  bacon,  and  salt, 
and  corn  were  taken  away.  In  reply,  he  was  told  .we  would  tell  the  Great  Father  what 
he  said. 

Mr.  Bruiiot  said :  "  Do  the  Cheyennes  agree  to  Little  Raven's  words  ?  Does  Medicine 
Arrow  agree  ?  What  does  Medicine  Arrow  say?" 

MEDICINE  ARKOW  :  ;'  His  father  always  loved  the  white  man.  He  was  raised  from  his 
childhood  to  love  the  white  man.  He  was  brought  up  all  his  life  holding  the  white 
man  by  the  hand.  But  the  white  man,  overrunning  his  country,  made  trouble.  Only 
a  short  time  ago,  white  men  at  Medicine  Bluffs — white  men — took  his  horses;  and  only 
lately,  up  at  the  north,  the  white  men  had  destroyed  a  village  of  his  people.  \But  not- 
withstanding all  this,  we  have  made  peace  this  day.  Whatever  words  the  Arapaho 
has  said,  the  Cheyenne  takes  them  for  his  own.  I  am  chief  of  all  the  Cheyennes,  but 
more  than  half  my  people  are  in  the  north.  I  think  they  will  all  come  in,  and  I  will 
try  to  get  them  to  come  in  and  be  at  peace.  They  will  all  come  some  time.  When  all 
come,  they  may  want  some  changes  in  the  reservation.  Some  of  his  people  were  in 
prison;  he  wanted  us  to  intercede  for  them.  He  also  said  that  now,  having  made  a 
lasting  peace,  ho  wanted  the  right  to  trade  for  ammunition.  They  had  very  little,  and 
they  wanted  to  make  their  fall  hunt  soon.  The  commissioners  replied,  in  regard  to 
the  prisoners  they  had  nothing  to  say,  but  would  carry  the  words  to  the  Great  Father. 
As  to  the  ammunition,  Colonel  Nelson  said  they  could  not  have  it. 

"  He  (Medicine  Arrow)  said  they  were  now  ready  to  go  with  the  Arapahoes.  They 
did  not  come  in  as  soon  as  the  Arapahoes,  but  as  soon  as  he  was  sent  for  he  came  to 
Colonel  Nelson,  and  it  seemed  strange  that  as  soon  as  the  Cheyennes  came  in  the  ra- 
tions were  changed.  He  wanted  the  commissioners  to  ask  the  department  to  give 
them  coffee  and  sugar." 

Mr.  Dodge  said :  "  Brother  of  the  Arapaho,  and  Cheyemies,  we,  the  commissioners 
from  the  President,  the  Great  Father,  have  come  this  long  journey  to  see  you  and  to  let 
you  know  that  the  good  white  people  love  the  Indians  and  want  to  do  them  good.  We 
have  come  to  see  you  and  take  you  by  the  hand  and  say  good  words  to  you.  We  know 
there  are  some  bad  white  men  who  have  come  among  you  and  have  cheated  you  and 
made  you  think  the  white  man  is  your  enemy.  We  want  you  to  look  at  your  present 
position  and  see  that  the  white  man  is  inclosing  and  surrounding  you,  and  that  rail- 
roads will  be  built  through  the  country  and  will  soon  drive  away  the  buffalo,  and  soon 
you  will  have  nothing  to  depend  on.  We  want  you  now  to  decide  to  settle  down  in 
one  place,  and  each  to  select  your  home,  cultivate  the  land,  and  learn  to  support  your- 
selves, and  become  part  of  the  American  people,  and  children  of  the  Great  Father. 
There  are  a  great  many  people  east  who  love  the  Indians  and  want  to  do  them  good. 
They  wish  to  save  the  Indian  from  ruin.  They  remember  that  many  moons  ago  the 
red  man  lived  where  the  white  man  now  lives,  but  they  are  gone.  The  great  tribes 
called  the  Narragansetts,  Mohicans,  Mohawks,  Stockbridges,  the  Delawares,  the  Octei- 
das,  Senecas,  and  Tuscaroras  have  passed  away  before  the  white  man,  while  the 
Cherokees,  Choctaws,  and  Creeks,  who  have  gone  on  reservations,  have  lived  and 
prospered.  Now  we  want  you  to  begin  to  live  like  the  white  men.  Cultivate  your 
laud,  and  we  will  send  good  men  to  teach  your  children  to  work,  to  read  and  write ; 
and  then  they  will  grow  up  able  to  support  themselves  after  the  buffalo  has  gone. 
You  must  not  drink  whisky  if  you  want  to  do  well.  We  are  glad  to  see  you  here  to- 
day, and  hope  all  will  be  peace." 

Mr.  Bruuot  said  that  hereafter  tKe  Cheyennes  and  Arapahoes  must  not  regard  the 
stories  of  bad  white  men,  who  come  to  them  with  evil  reports.  They  must  go  to 
Colonel  Nelson,  or  the  commander  of  the  post,  or  their  agent,  and  they  will  always  tell 
them  the  truth. 

The  commissioners  invited  Colonel  Nelson  to  speak  if  he  desired  to  do  so. 

Little  Raven  then  said  his  young  men  wanted  to  go  against  their  enemies,  the  Utes, 
in  a  few  days.  Would  Colonel  Nelson  give  them  a  paper,  so  that  when  their  young 
men  went  to  war  against  their  enemies  they  could  show  it,  so  as  not  to  get  into  trouble 
with  the  whites. 

Colonel  Nelson  replied,  that  they  must  be  at  peace  with  all  men  while  they  were 
under  the  United  States  protection ;  the  United  States  will  not  allow  them  to  go  to 
war  with  any  one,  and  will  not  allow  any  one  to  molest  them. 

Medicine  Arrow  spoke :  "  It  is  a  poor  rule  that  will  not  work  both  ways.  WThy  do 
your  soldiers  fight  our  Cheyenues  in  the  north  ?  " 

Colonel  Nelson  said :  "  Because  they  fight  our  soldiers.  If  they  will  submit,  as  you 
have  done,  our  soldiers  will  not  fight  them." 

Medicine  Arrow  said :  "  If  the  Washington  Father's  commissioners  will  promise  pro- 
tection and  peace  to  them,  I  will  bring  all  the  northern  Cheyennes  to  this  place  to  give 
themselves  up  to  the  United  States  authorities,  with  the  lodges,  women  and  children." 


REPORT   OF   THE    COMMISSION   ON   INDIAN  AFFAIRS.  15 

Whereupon  the  commissioners  immediately  assented  to  the  proposal,  and  the  follow- 
iuK  paper  was  at  once  drawn  up  and  signed,  and  a  copy  given  to  Medicine  Arrow : 

"CAMP  SUPPLY,  August  10,  1869. 

"  Whereas,  Medicine  Arrow,  chief  of  the  Cheyennes,  has,  in  the  presence  of  the  com- 
mittee of  United  States  special  Indian  commission,  Colonel  Nelson,  and  the  officers  of 
the  garrison,  and  of  all  the  chiefs  of  the  southern  Cheyennes  and  Arapahoes,  pledged 
himself  that  if  the  commissioners  would  promise  protection  and  peace  to  them  he  will 
bnng  all  the  northern  Cheyennes  to  this  place  to  give  themselves  up  to  the  United 
States  authorities  forthwith,  with  their  lodges,  women,  and  children  : 

Now,  therefore,  the  undersigned,  commissioners  and  officers  in  behalf  of  the  United 
States,  promise  the  said  north  Cheyeuues  the  protection  of  the  United  States  upon  the 
Arapaho  and  Cheyenne  reservation,  as  soon  as  they  shall  comply  with  the  said  pledge 
and  place  themselves  under  the  protection  of  the  United  States. 

"FELIX  R.  BRUNOT, 
"NATHAN  BISHOP, 
«WM.  E.  DODGE, 

"Commissioners. 
"A.  D.  NELSON, 
"  Brevet  Colonel  United  States  Army." 

From  information  received  at  Camp  Supply,  the  committee  deemed  it 
important  that  the  issue  of  coffee  and  sugar,  as  a  part  of  the  Indian 
ration,  should  be  resumed,  and  advised  the  department  accordingly  by 
letter,  August  10.  The  very  low  estimate  they  placed  on  the  corn  ration 
seemed  to  make  it  expedient  that  flour,  rice,  or  soap  should  be  substi- 
tuted in  its  stead. 

In  the  same  communication  the  belief  was  expressed  that  "  the  reser- 
vation marked  upon  the  map  as  being  that  defined  in  the  treaty  is  in 
many  respects  unfit  for  the  Cheyennes  and  Arapahoes.  They  are  will- 
ing to  remain  upon  the  North  Fork  of  the  Canadian  Eiver,  eastward  of 
Camp  Supply.  This  seems  to  be  a  good  country,  capable  of  cultivation, 
and  we  are  of  the  opinion  that  it  would  be  unwise  to  attempt  to  force 
them  from  it."  It  is  proper  here  to  give  some  reasons  for  this  con- 
clusion. 

The  history  of  these  Indians,  since  first  brought  into  treaty  stipula- 
tions with  the  United  States,  is  one  of  almost  unmitigated  wrongs  en- 
dured. In  peace,  they  have  been  the  frequent  victims  of  murderers  and 
marauders,  and  the  constant  prey  of  traders  and  agents.  In  war,  their 
own  barbarities  have,  on  some  occasions,  been  more  than  emulated  by  their 
white  enemies.  The  simple  narration  of  their  story  would  compel,  from 
mere  feelings  of  commiseration,  the  most  generous  treatment  on  the  part  of 
the  government,  and  it  would  be  seen  that  no  amount  of  generositj'  now 
practicable  would  be  sufficient  to  make  just  amends  for  the  past.  We 
do  not  propose  to  tell  the  story  further  than  is  involved  in  a  mere  -busi- 
ness statement  of  the  land  transactions  between  the  parties. 

In  1851,  September  17,  a  treaty  was  concluded  which,  while  it  did  not 
deprive  the  Indians  of  the  right  of  transit  and  hunting  over  any  other 
land  claimed  by  them,  confirmed  their  title  to  the  country  within  the 
following  boundaries,  viz :  "Commencing  at  the  Eed  Buttes  where  the 
road  leaves  the  North  Fork  of  the  Platte  Eiver;  thence  up  the  North  Fork 
of  the  Platte  River  to  its  source ;  thence  along  the  main  ridge  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains  to  the  head  waters  of  the  Arkansas  River ;  thence 
down  the  Arkansas  River  to  the  crossing  of  the  Santa  Fe  road ;  thence 
in  a  northwesterly  direction  to  the  Forks  of  the  Platte  River  ;  thence  up 
the  Platte  River  to  the  place  of  beginning."  Within  these  lines  is  in- 
cluded the  largest  and  most  valuable  part  of  Colorado,  a  portion  of  Da- 
kota and  Nebraska,  and  the  western  part  of  Kansas,  equal  in  all  to  about 
one  hundred  thousand  square  miles.  In  consideration  of  their  abandon- 
ment of  all  title  to  other  lands,  except  their  hunting,  fishing,  and  transit 


16  REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

rights,  and  consent  given  to  the  United  States  to  establish  roads  and 
military  posts,  the  United  States  bound  themselves  "to  protect  the 
aforesaid  Indian  nations  against  the  commission  of  all  depredations  by 
the  people  of  the  United  States  after  the  ratification  of  this  treaty.'" 
They  also  farther  agreed  to  pay  to  the  Arapahoes  and  Cheyennes  the 
sum  of  fifty  thousand  dollars  per  annum  for  the  term  of  fifty  years. 

After  the  Indians  had  signed  the  treaty,  the  United  States  Senate 
reduced  the  term  for  which  the  payment  was  to  be  made  from  fifty  to 
ten  years.  To  this  change  the  Indians  never  gave  their  assent ;  never- 
theless, with  the  change,  the  treaty  was  proclaimed  and  assumed  to  be 
operative  by  both  parties.  No  one  has  ever  pretended  to  aver  that  the 
Indians  broke  the  treaty,  nor,  on  the  other  hand,  do  we  find  any  thing  on 
record  to  show  that  the  United  States  ever  seriously  attempted  to  com- 
ply with  their  agreement  to  protect  said  Indians  against  the  commission 
of  "all  depredations  by  the  people  of  the  United  States."  The  wonder- 
ful influx  of  population  into  Colorado,  and  the  subsequent  events,  indi- 
cates the  extent  of  protection  afforded.  The  white  man,  in  his  greed  for 
gain,  robbed  them  of  their  homes  and  hunting  grounds,  and  when  he 
dared  to  complain,  found  justification  only  in  the  heartless  and  brutal 
maxim  that  "the  Indian  has  no  rights  which  the  white  man  is  bound  to 
respect,"  a  sentiment  in  which  the  government  quietly  acquiesced." 

In  1861,  the  United  States  having  utterly  failed  to  carry  into  effect 
the  stipulations  of  the  existing  treaty,  the  Indians  were  induced,  on  the 
18th  of  February,  to  make  another,  which  designated  their  lands  as  fol- 
lows, viz:  "Beginning  at  the  mouth  of  the  Sandy  Fork  of  the  Arkan- 
sas River,  and  extending  westwardly  along  said  river  to  the  mouth  of 
Purgatory  River;  thence  along  up  the  west  bank  of  Purgatory  River  to 
the  northern  boundary  of  the  Territory  of  New  Mexico ;  thence  west 
along  said  boundary  to  a  point  where  a  line  drawn  due  south  from  a 
point  on  the  Arkansas  River,  five  miles  east  of  the  Huerfano  River, 
would  intersect  said  northern  boundary  of  New  Mexico ;  thence  due 
north  from  that  point  on  said  boundary  to  the  Sandy  Fork  at  the  place 
of  beginning." 

It  will  be  seen  that  by  the  new  treaty  the  Indians  yielded  their  right 
to  the  immense  territory  before  confirmed  to  them,  and  accepted  a  com- 
paratively small  district  in  the  southern  part  of  Colorado.  In  lieu  of 
the  lands  conceded,  the  United  States  agreed  to  pay  the  two  tribes 
$60,000  per  annum  for  fifteen  years,  and  to  break  up  and  feuce'lands, 
build  houses  for  the  chiefs,  stock  the  farms  with  horses,  cattle,  &c.,  and 
supply  agricultural  implements,  erect  mills,  and  maintain  engineers, 
millers,  farmers  and  mechanics  among  them,  and  to  protect  them  "in 
the  quiet  and  peaceable  possession  "  of  their  reservation. 

The  savages,  it  is  alleged,  maintained  inviolate  their  part  of  this 
treaty  also,  and  in  1864  the  government  had  commenced  some  of  the 
permanent  improvements  promised.  In  April  of  that  year,  an  officer  of 
the  United  States,  in  command  of  forty  men,  attempted  to  disarm  a 
party  of  Cheyennes,  supposed  to  have  stolen  horses,  and  whom  he  had 
"invited  forward  to  talk  with  him."  (See  report  of  peace  commission.) 
This  naturally  brought  on  a  fight  between  the  parties.  The  small  por- 
tion of  Colorado  still  occupied  by  the  Indians  was  too  much  for  the  cu- 
pidity of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Territory,  and  they  seized  with  avidity 
upon  the  pretext  of  this  affair  to  set  about  their  expulsion  or  extermi- 
nation. For  the  honor  of  humanity,  it  would  be  well  could  the  record 
of  their  deeds  in  this  behalf  be  blotted  out.  The  entire  history  of  In- 
dian warfare  furnishes  no  more  black  and  damning  episode  than  the 
massacre  of  Sand  Creek. 


REPORT    OF  THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS.  17 

After  the  expenditure  of  §30,000,000  in  the  prosecution  of  a  war 
which,  in  the  language  of  the  late  peace  commission,  was  "dishonora- 
ble to  the  nation,  and  disgraceful  to  those  who  originated  it,"  a  treaty 
of  peace  was  concluded  at  the  camp  on  the  Little  Arkansas,  October 
14,  1865. 

This  treaty  deprived  them  of  the  remainder  of  their  Colorado  posses- 
sions, and  designated  for  their  occupancy  a  district  of  country  bounded 
as  follows,  viz:  "Commencing  at  the  mouth  of  Eed  Creek,  or  the  Eed 
Fork  of  the  Arkansas  River ;  thence  up  said  creek  or  fork  to  its  source ; 
thence  westwardly  to  a  point  on  the  Cimarron  River,  opposite  the  mouth  of 
Buifalo  Creek;  thence  due  north  to  the  Arkansas;  thence  down  the 
same  to  the  beginning,  shall  be,  and  is  hereby,  set  apart  for  the  absolute 
use  and  undisturbed  occupation  of  the  tribes  who  are  parties  to  this 
treaty.''  The  United  States  also  stipulated  to  expend  annually,  for  the 
benefit  of  the  Indians  during  forty  years,  a  sum  equal  to  $40  per  capita ; 
and  until  removed  to  their  new  home,  they  were  "  expressly  permitted 
to  reside  upon  and  range  at  pleasure  throughout  the  unsettled  portions 
of  the  country  they  claim  as  originally  theirs,  between  the  Arkansas 
and  Platte  Rivers."  Article  IX  provided  for  the  payment  of  all  arrears 
accrued  under  former  treaties.  When  the  treaty  went  before  the  Senate 
for  ratification,  that  body  altered  Article  IX  to  read,  "upon  the  ratifi- 
cation of  this  treaty  all  former  treaties  are  hereby  abrogated,"  and 
added  further  a  proviso,  that  "no  part  of  the  reservation  shall  be 
within  the  State  of  Kansas,"  or  upon  "any  reserve  belonging  to  any 
other'  Indian  tribe  or  tribes,  without  their  consent."  The  largest  and 
best  part  of  the  reservation  was  "  within  the  limits  of  Kansas,"  and  the 
remainder  within  the  reserve  long  before  granted,  and  "  belonging  to" 
the  Cherokees.  Thus,  by  the  process  of  two  treaties,  between  the  civ- 
ilized and  the  savage,  the  strong  and  the  weak,  the  Arapahoes  and 
Cheyenues  were  stripped  of  their  magnificent  possessions,  larger  than 
the  States  of  Pennsylvania,  New  York,  and  New  Jersey,  and  left  with- 
out a  foot  of  land  they  could  call  their  home.  They  had  still  left  to  them 
the  hunting  and  "roaming"  privilege,  between  the  Arkansas  and  the 
Platte  Rivers.  The  sequel  shows  that  even  that  was  considered  too1 
much  for  them. 

The  breaking  out  of  the  Sioux  war  of  1866  in  Minnesota  was  made  the 
occasion  tor  suspicion  that  the  Cheyennes  and  Arapahoes  intended  war 
also,  and  that  suspicion  was  made  the  opportunity  for  driving  them  from 
their  hunting  grounds,  where  their  presence  was  supposed  to  be  "calcu- 
lated to  bring  about  collisions  with  the  whites." 

For  the  details  of  the  origin  of  the  war,  and  the  manner  in  which  ft 
was  conducted,  we  respectfully  refer  to  the  report  of  the  peace  com- 
mission in  January,  1868. 

On  the  28th  of  October,  1867,  the  treaty  of  Medicine  Lodge  Creek  was 
concluded  by  the  peace  commission,  and  is  now  in  force.  It  designated 
the  reservation  by  the  following  boundaries,  viz :  "Commencing at  a 
point  wrhere  the  Arkansas  River  crosses  the  thirty-seventh  parallel  of 
north  latitude ;  thence  west  on  said  parallel — the  said  line  being  the 
southern  boundary  of  Kansas — to  Cimarron  River  (sometimes  called  the 
Red  Fork  of  the  Arkansas  River;)  thence  .down  said  Cimarron  River  ia 
the  middle  of  the  main  channel  thereof  to  the  place  of  beginning."  The 
country  within  these  limits  contains  but  little  arable  land,  so  almost 
destitute  of  timber,  and  has  very  little  permanent  fresh  water.  The 
numerous  small  streams  of  the  map,  it  is  said,  are  mostly  either  salt  or 
such  as  usually  dry  up  in  the  summer  season.  On  the  east  it  is  joined 
by  the  Osages,  the  hereditary  enemies  of  the  Cheyennes,  and  the  Ioc3- 
2 


18  REPOKT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

tion  chosen  for  the  agency  is  so  near  Kansas  on  the  north  as  to  render 
too  easy  the  predatory  excursions  of  both  Indians  and  white  men  over 
their  respective  borders.  The  Indians  themselves  also  urge  these  ob- 
jections to  the  reservation,  and  claim  that  they  supposed  when  they 
signed  the  treaty,  that  their  country  extended  to  the  main  Canadian, 
and  consequently  included  the  North  Fork.  When  they  arrived  at  this 
point — as  the  officers  supposed  on  their  way  to  the  reservation — they 
refused  to  go  further,  saying  this  river  was  on  their  reservation.  Little 
Raven  and  Medicine  Arrow,  the  chiefs,  both  assert  that  they  never, 
until  it  was  made  known  to  them  during  the  present  summer,  under- 
stood rightly  the  real  bounds  of  their  reservation.  The  mistake  seems 
to  have  originated  in  the  different  names  given  to  the  streams  by  the 
whites  and  Indians  respectively.  The  latter  call  the  Canadian  "  Red 
Fork,"  or  "Bed  River,"  and  were  misled  in  the  confusion  of  names,  or 
the  defect  of  interpretation.  (See  Appendix  B.)  To  attempt  to  force 
the  Indians  to  the  reservation  will,  in  all  probability,  result  in  driving 
them  back  to  the  plains  again,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  consent  to  their 
occupancy  of  the  banks  of  the  Canadian  will,  we  believe,  greatly  con- 
tribute to  the  perpetuation  of  peace  and  the  success  of  the  proposed 
measures  for  their  civilization. 

The  general  provisions  of  the  treaty  of  Medicine  Lodge  Creek  give 
evidence  of  a  wise  and  generous  solicitude  on  the  part  of  its  framers  to 
protect  the  Indians  and  secure  their  advancement  in  civilization,  as  well 
as  to  provide  the  means  for  their  subsistence  during  the  process,  and  it 
is  important  for  economic  reasons,  in  addition  to  those  of  justice  and 
humanity,  that  the  expenditures  shall  be  made  in  a  country  which  will 
give  the  best  promise  of  a  successful  result. 

We  earnestly  recommend,  therefore,  that  Congress  be  asked  early  in 
the  coming  session  for  such  legislation  as  may  be  necessary  to  secure 
the  permanent  settlement  of  the  Arapahoes  and  Cheyennes  upon  the 
North  Canadian  River.  The  agency  and  fort  should  be  located  some 
fifty  or  sixty  miles  further  down  the  North  Fork  than  Camp  Supply. 
There  are  several  points  in  that  vicinity  which  we  visited  and  think 
well  suited  to  the  purpose,  and  in  making  the  selection  some  reference 
should  be  had  to  the  conveuience  of  a  road,  via  the  new  fort,  from  Fort 
Harker  to  Fort  Hill.  We  suggest,  also,  for  the  consideration  of  your 
department,  that  the  actual  ownership  of  very  large  districts  of  country 
by  the  Indians  is  not  expedient,  and  if,  as  is  probable,  the  Arapahoes 
and  Cheyennes  are  disposed  to  cede  their  right  to  their  present  reserva- 
tian  in  exchange  for  the  country  they  desire  to  have,  such  an  arrange- 
ment should  be  made.  The  country  ceded  will  form  a  useful  barrier  to 
the  nearer  approach  of  the  white  settlers,  and  possibly  some  portion  of 
it  may  hereafter  be  found  suitable  for  the  occupation  of  a  smaller  tribe. 

While  the  history  of  the  Cheyenne  treaties  must  convince  every  one 
interested  in  the  subject  that  the  United  States,  by  their  own  acts,  owe 
to  these  Indians  at  least  the  degree  of  justice  we  have  recommended,  it 
also  forcibly  illustrates  the  injudiciousness  and  iniquity  of  the  treaty 
system  as  heretofore  practiced.  In  its  notable  features  it  does  not  differ 
materially  from  the  history  of  other  tribes.  The  United  States  first  cre- 
ates the  fiction  that  a  few  thousand  savages  stand  in  the  position  of 
equality  as  to  capacity,  power,  and  right  of  negotiation  with  a  great 
civilized  nation.  They  next  proceed  to  impress  upon  the  savages,  with 
all  the  forms  of  treaty  and  the  solemnity  of  parchment,  signatures,  and 
seals,  the  preposterous  idea  that  they  are  the  owners  in  fee  of  the  fabu- 
lous tracts  of  country  over  which  their  nomadic  habits  have  led  them 
or  their  ancestors  to  roam.  The  title  being  thus  settled,  they  purchase 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN  AFFAIRS.  19 

and  promise  payment  for  a  portion  of  territory,  and  further  bind  them 
selves  in  the  most  solemn  manner  to  protect  and  defend  the  Indians  in 
the  possession  of  some  immense  remainder  defined  by  boundaries  in  the 
treaty;  thus  becoming,  as  it  were,  particeps  criminis  with  the  savages  in 
resisting  the  "encroachments"  of  civilization  and  the  progressive  move- 
ment of  the  age.  Having  entered  into  this  last-named  impracticable 
obligation,  the  fact  of  its  non-performance  becomes  the  occasion  of  dis- 
graceful and  expensive  war  to  subdue  their  victims  to  the  point  of  sub 
mission  to  another  treaty.  And  so  the  tragedy  of  war  and  the  farce  of 
treaty  have  been  enacted  again  and  again,  each  time  with  increasing 
shame  to  the  nation. 

The  Indians  at  Camp  Supply  seem  to  be  well  disposed.  The  chiefs 
understand  the  situation,  and  will  endeavor  to  keep  their  young  men  in 
the  right  path.  Deprived  of  their  accustomed  mode  of  living  by  the 
chase,  they  are  dependent  upon  the  government  for  their  daily  subsist- 
ence; and  unless  the  pangs  of  starvation  shall  at  some  time  drive  them 
to  madness,  it  is  believed  that  they  will,  if  permitted  to  do  so,  remain 
permanently  at  peace.  To  suppose  that  there  are  not  horse  thieves, 
rioters,  and  murderers  among  them,  who  will  with  occasion  ply  their 
vocation,  would  be  to  count  upon  a  degree  of  virtue  hardly  to  be  found 
in  an  equal  number  of  white  men  taken  indiscriminately  anywhere  on 
the  border. 

There  are  also  among  the  Indians,  as  among  the  whites,  those  who 
will  desire  and  endeavor  to  bring  on  war;  but  it  is  confidently  hoped 
that  the  time  is  gone  by  when  the  acts  of  a  few  individuals,  however 
heinous  they  may  be,  could  be  deemed  to  warrant  the  involvement  of 
the  nation  in  a  costly  and  dishonorable  war.  At  Camp  Supply  the  com- 
mittee had  the  pleasure  to  meet  writh  John  Butler  and  Achilles  Pugh, 
who  had  been  sent  out  by  the  Society  of  Friends  to  visit  the  agents 
lately  appointed  from  their  body.  They  were  also  present  at  the  coun- 
cil we  held  at  Medicine  Bluff.  They  corroborate  our  favorable  opinion 
of  the  operation  of  the  new  policy. 

Leaving  Camp  Supply  on  the  morning  of  the  llth,  we  arrived  at  Medi- 
cine Bluff,  or  Fort  Sill,  205  miles  distant,  on  the  19th  instant.  The 
country  through  which  we  passed,  with  the  exception  of  sixty-five  miles 
along  the  North  Fork  of  the  Canadian,  twenty  miles  at  the  end  of  the 
journey,  and  a  small  district  near  Fort  Cobb,  is  of  the  same  general 
character  as  that  north  of  Camp  Supply,  viz.,  extensive  plains  and  roll- 
ing or  broken  prairies,  chiefly  covered  with  buffalo  grass  and  quite  des- 
titute of  timber,  save  where  occasional  streams  are  scantily  margined 
with  scrubby  trees.  There  is  nothing  to  invite  settlement,  and,  except 
in  small  isolated  patches  on  some  of  the  lesser  streams,  nothing  which 
promises  the  possibility  of  successful  cultivation.  The  larger  streams 
are  usually  margined  for  a  width  of  several  miles  by  sand  hills.  We 
are  informed  that  the  character  of  the  country  lying  west  of  our  route 
is  still  more  barren,  and  this  feature  we  deem  to  be  an  important  advan- 
tage to  the  Indian  occupation  of  the  other  parts  of  the  territory,  as  pre- 
cluding the  probability  that  it  will  ever  become  a  thoroughfare  for  the 
white  people  to  reach  regions  beyond.  The  country  around  Fort  Sill  is 
beautiful ;  well  watered  and  covered  with  luxuriant  vegetation,  and  the 
timber  along  the  streams  is  more  abundant  and  of  a  better  quality  than 
we  saw  anywhere  else  on  our  route  in  the  territory.  In  salubrity  the 
region  compares  favorably  with  most  other  parts  of  the  western  country. 
The  location  of  the  new  fort,  the  erection  of  which  has  been  commenced, 
is  believed  to  be  the  best  possible  selection,  and  there  are  points  in  the 
vicinity  equally  well  adapted  for  the  agency.  (See  Appendix  B.)  An 


20  REPORT   OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN  AFFAIRS. 

agency  building  and  store-house  have  already  been  erected  on  a  farm 
near  the  fort.  About  seventy  acres  of  corn  had  been  planted,  which 
produced  an  abundant  crop,  and  fifteen  hundred  acres  of  ground  have 
been  broken  up  in  different  parts  of  the  reservation,  which  it  is  pro- 
posed to  plant  during  the  fall  and  coming  spring.  None  of  the  promised 
houses  have  yet  been  erected  for  the  Indian  chiefs. 

The  tribes  belonging  to  the  agency  are  the  Kiowa,  Comanche,  Apache, 
Wichita,  Waco,  Towacaroe,  Keechi,  Caddo,  and  Anadaghco.  The 
Kiowas,  Coinancbes,  and  Apaches  are  confederated,  and  the  others 
named  are  remnants  of  tribes  affiliated  with  the  Wichitas. 

The  camp  of  the  Kiowas  and  Comanches  is  at  Cache  Creek,  some  fif- 
teen mile's  from  the  agency.  The  Wichitas  and  others  are  located  about 
thirty  miles  distant,  where  they  are  cultivating  small  patches,  of  corn 
and  "  trying  to  walk  in  the  white  man's  road."  We  were  informed  that 
several  of  the  Kiowa  and  Comauche  chiefs  also  had  raised  creditable 
patches  of  corn.  One  of  the  latter  applied  to  the  commissioners  for  the 
premium  promised  by  the  government  for  the  best  crop.  Such  premiums 
are  provided  for  in  their  treaty,  and  can  only  effect  their  intended  pur- 
pose if  paid  promptly  when  earned. 

The  best  crop  was  raised  by  a  Comanche  chief,  who  it  is  said  had 
never  been  at  a  fort  or  Indian  agency  until  last  spring. 

The  agent,  Laurie  Taturn,  seems  to  be  gaining  the  confidence  of  the 
Indians,  and  bids  fail'  by  his  energy  and  honest  spirit  to  demonstrate 
the  wisdom  of  the  so-called  Quaker  policy.  He  is  himself  hopeful  in 
regard  to  the  future  of  Indians. 

On  Friday,  August  20,  notice  having  been  given  to  the  chiefs  by 
Agent  Tatum,  we  met  them  in  council  at  the  agency. 

The  principal  chiefs  present  were,  of  the  Kiowas,  Santanta,  (or  White 
Bear;)  Ta-ne-on-koe,  (Kicking  Bird;)  To-han-san,  (Little  Mountain;) 
Cor-pe-ah,  (Raven  Lance;)  Sy-tem-year,  (Stumbling  Bear;)  Mah-yet- 
tem,  (Woman's  Heart;)  Al-koe,  (Timbered  Mountain.)  Comanches,  of 
the  Pe-ua-teth-ca  or  Honey-eater  band,  Es-sa-hab-et,  (Milky  way ;)  Es- 
sa-too-yet,  or  Grey  Leggins ;  Yam-hi-re-coe,  or  Root  digger  band  ;  Boo- 
e-wa-too-yah,  (Iron  Mountain ;)  Tip-pe-nah-bor,  (Painted  Lips ;)  Hoe- 
we-oh,  (Gap  in  the  woods;)  No-co-nie,  or  Wanderer  band;  To-ha-yer- 
qua-hip,  (Horse  back;)  Que-na-hea-vey,  (The  Eagle;)  Co-o-cho-teth-ca, 
or  Buffalo-eater  band ;  Mow-way,  (Shaking  Head;)  Pat-ro-o-kome,  (He 
Bear;)  Fitch-ah-ku-na,  or  Lewet  band ;  Kut-squi-ip,  (Chewer.)  Wacoes, 
Auch-tay-tu-dus,  (Buffalo  good,)  chief.  Wichitas,  E-sad-a-wa,  (Stingy,) 
chief.  Dewe,  chief  of  the  Tawacarroes,  and  the  second  chief  of  the 
Wichitas  and  others.  An  account  of  the  council,  and  the  speeches  of 
the  chiefs  was  transmitted  to  General  Parker  on  the  21st,  as  follows  : 

FORT  SILL,  I.  T.,  August  21,  1869. 

DEAR  SIR  :  In  behalf  of  the  committee  of  the  United  States  special  commission  now 
visiting  the  Indian  Territory,  I  wrote  to  you  from  Camp  Supply,  on  10th  instant, 
inclosing  minutes  of  the  council  held  with  the  Arapahoes  and  Cheyennes,  recommend- 
ing the  issue  of  coffee  and  sugar  rations  to  be  resumed,  and,  in  reply  to  your  letter  of 
—  July,  expressing  the  committee's  approval  of  your  change  in  the  articles  proposed  to 
be  purchased  for  the  Arapahoes  and  Cheyennes. 

The  committee  reached  this  place  on  the  morning  of  the  19th,  and  on  the  evening  of 
the  20th  held  council  with  the  Comanches,  Kiowas,  Apaches,  Wichitas,  Wacoes,  Cad- 
does,  and  Tawacarroes,  who  were  represented  by  their  principal  chiefs.  A  brief  of  the 
conference  will  be  prepared  by  Mr.  Findlay.  secretary,  and  forwarded  with  this  letter. 

The  committee  instructs  me  to  urge  upon  the  department  the  importance  of  imme- 
diately resuming  the  issue  of  coffee  and  sugar  rations  to  these  Indians.  This  part  of 
the  ration  is  more  highly  valued  by  them  than  anything  else,  and  will  be  more  effect- 
ive in  holding  them  here  in  peace  than  any  other  measure  which  the  government  can 
adopt. 


EEPOET    OF   THE    COMMISSION   ON   INDIAN   AFFAIRS.  21 

There  is  much  reason  to  believe  that  the  Kiowas  and  Comanches,  in  part,  will  again 
go  to  the  plains  if  this  measure  is  not  adopted  at  an  early  day,  and  that  the  sugar  and 
coftee  will  certainly  hold  them.  The  committee  also  approve  fully  of  the  change  of 
blankets  and  the  drillings  in  the  proposed  purchases,  in  lieu  of  stockings,  &c.,  the  lat- 
ter article  being  utterly  useless  to  the  Indian  at  present. 

We  also  recommend  that  for  a  part  of  the  coats,  and  all  the  pants  proposed  to  be  pur- 
chased, there  should  be  substituted  a  good  article  of  saved  list  cloth  for  leggins,  (blue- 
fast  colors.)  and  some  cooking  utensils,  such  as  wrought-iron  frying  pans,  iron-tinned 
oups,  Dutch  ovens,  or  skillets,  kettles,  &c. 

We  cannot  too  strongly  urge  the  early  purchase  and  shipment  of  the  goods  for  these 
Indians  at  the  earliest  possible  day,  and  also,  that  a  special  agent  should  be  sent  in 
charge,  and  the  transportation  from  the  railroad  secured  through  the  army  Quarter- 
master's Department,  and  not  by  the  ox  train  as  heretofore. 

The  corn  meal  rations  is  entirely  xiseless  to  the  Indians  and  ought  to  be  discon- 
tinued, even  if  a  good  article  could  be  had;  they  care  nothing  for  it.  As  it  is,  they 
either  throw  it  away,  feed  it  to  their  ponies,  or  return  it  to  the  contractors  for  a  trifle, 
to  be  re-supplied  to  the  government  and  again  issued,  &c. 

Respectfully  commending  these  subjects  to  your  earnest  and  immediate  attention, 
I  am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

FELIX  R.  BRUNOT,  Chairman. 

Hon  E.  S.  PARKER, 

Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs. 


Report  of  a  talk  at  the  Kiowa  and  Comanche  agency  near  Fort  Sill,  Indian  Territory,  be- 
tween the  committee  of  United  States  special  Indian  commission  and  the  chiefs  and  headmen 
of  the  Kioivas,  Comanclies.  Apaches,  Wichitas,  Wacos,  and  other  small  hands,  August  20, 
1869,  in  presence  of  Major  General  Grierson,  commanding  at  Foi't  Sill,  and  L.  Tatum,  esq., 
United  States  Indian  agent. 

General  Grierson  introduced  the  commissioners  by  informing  the  assembled  chiefs  and 
hea>dmen,  that  these  were  the  commissioners  from  Washington,  for  whose  coming  they 
had  been  anxiously  looking.  They  were  men  specially  selected  by  the  President  to 
visit  them  and  make  him  a  report  of  the  true  condition  of  things  among  them.  He 
had  sent  these  gentlemen,  because  he  could  rely  on  them,  and  on  the  report  they  would 
make.  They  had  not  come  for  money,  which  they  did  not  need,  but  had  come  to  try  to 
benefit  their  own  people  and  to  do  good  to  the  Indians.  He  advised  the  Indians  to 
listen  well  to  what  the  commissioners  would  say  to  them,  and  assured  them  that  the 
commissioners  would  faithfully  report  to  the  President  what  they  (the  Indians)  should 
say.  Mr.  Brunot,  as  chairman  of  the  committee,  then  stated  that  when  the  white  peo- 
ple held  a  great  council  they  always  asked  the  great  God  and  creator  of  all  men  to 
give  them  wisdom,  and  incline  their  hearts  to  speak  the  truth.  Mr.  Dodge  then, 
opened  the  council  with  a  short  prayer,  the  chiefs  rising  and  standing  respectfully. 

Mr.  BRUNOT  then  said  that  the  commissioners  had  been  sent  by  the  great  father  at 
Washington  to  inquire  into  the  condition  of  things  in  the  Indian  country,  and  to  hear 
what  the  Indiaus  had  to  say,  and  report  all  they  could  learn  to  the  Great  Father,  in 
order  that  he  might  know  what  was  best  to  be  done  for  the  benefit  of  both  whites  and 
Indians.  He  iirged  strongly  on  the  Indians  the  necessity  of  their  remaining  at  peace 
and  submitting  quietly  to  the  authority  of  the  United  States  government,  and  of  rely- 
ing on  its  good  faith  and  kind  intentions  toward  them,  and  exhorted  the  Indians  to 
abandon  their  wandering  and  savage  habits  and  learn  to  live  like  civilized  people,  as- 
suring them  that  the  government  would  assist  them  in  doing  this,  by  aiding  them  in 
making  houses  and  fields,  planting  crops,  establishing  schools  for  the  training  of  their 
children,  and  would  feed  them  as  it  was  now  doing,  until  they  should  have  time  to  be 
able  to  support  themselves,  and  would  also  give  them  clothing  and  goods,  while  they 
continued  in  the  white  man's  road.  He  then  invited  the  Indians  to  speak  and  said  the 
commissioners  would  carry  their  words  to  the  Great  Father. 

ESSE-HA-HABIT,  of  the  Pen-e-lath-cah  band  of  Comanches,  first  spoke.  He  said :  "  To 
day  my  heart  feels  glad.  I  have  long  heard  of  your  coming,  and  to-day  I  see  you  and 
hear  your  words,  and  hope  now  all  will  be  straight.  I  am  not  an  old  man,  but  in  the 
prime  of  life.  I  suppose  you  are  great  captains,  and  what  you  say  is  good.  I  want  to 
walk  according  to  your  advice.  I  have  been  working  with  General  Grierson  and  our 
agent  trying  to  do  what  is  good  for  my  people.  You  can  see  now  how  we  live,  also  the 
Wichitas  and  Caddoes,  and  can  see  that  we  are  some  way  on  the  white  man's  road. 
But  though  I  have  been  walking  on  this  road  some  years  I  have  not  seen  a  house  on  it 
yet,  though  we  were  promised  that  some  should  be  built  for  us;  we  are  trying  to  do 
what  we  were  told  to  do,  but  the  promises  made  to  us  have  not  been  fulfilled.  Ithiuk 
those  who  promise  and  do  not  fulfill  their  promises  are  not  much  captains.  Thero  are 


22  REPORT    OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

some  white  men  who  have  lived  among  us  for  a  long  while  and  been  of  benefit  to  us ; 
we  are  desirous  that  they  should  continue  with  us. 

SAN-TAN-TA,  Kio\va  Chief,  said  :  "  To-day  we  meet  the  commissioners  from  Washing- 
ton, and  our  hearts  are  glad;  all  our  women  and  children  rejoiced  when  they  knew 
you  had  come.  We  have  heard  your  words  to-day,  and  are  glad  of  them.  We  have 
tried  the  white  man's  road  and  found  it  hard  ;  we  iind  nothing  on  it  but  a  little  corn, 
which  hurts  our  teeth;  no  sugar;  no  coffee.  But  we  want  to  walk  in  the  white  man's 
road.  We  want  to  have  guns,  breech-loading  carbines,  ammunition  and  caps.  These 
are  part  of  the  white  man's  road,  and  yet  you  want  us  to  go  back  to  making  arrow- 
heads, which  are  used  only  by  bad,  foolish  Indians,  and  have  always  been  a  mark  of 
what  was  barbarous  and  evil.  We  want  to  have  civilized  weapons  to  hunt  with. 
You  want  us  to  go  back  to  the  savage  ones.  There  are  five  tribes  that  we  consider 
our  brothers,  the  Comanches,  Cheyennes,  Arapahoes,  Wichitas,  and  Caddoes.  All  this 
country  always  belonged  to  us,  all  the  way  to  the  Arkansas,  with  all  that  is  on  it. 
But  the  white  people  have  undertaken  to  divide  it  out  to  suit  themselves.  For  some 
years,  (it  seems  to  me,)  the  great  business  of  the  whites  has  been  to  divide  and  appor- 
tion lands.  I  do  not  know  that  my  heart  feels  good  about  this  business.  You  say  you 
come  to  do  us  good,  and  that  the  United  States  government  wants  to  do  us  good.  I 
hope  this  is  so,  and  that  they  will  show  their  liberality  by  paying  us  well  for  the  land 
they  have  taken.  As  to  the  land  that  is  left,  (this  reservation,)  we  love  it  and  all  the 
hills,  woods  and  streams  on  it,  and  will  never  part  with  any  of  it.  I  have  said  this, 
not  because  I  am  angry,  but  because  I  wanted  to  tell  you  truly  what  is  in  my  mind. 

"  Last  winter,  Lone  Wolf  and  1  were  arrested  by  General  Sheridan  and  kept  prison- 
ers. We  were  released  and  thought  we  should  have  some  compensation,  but  have  got 
nothing.  Others  of  our  people  were  carried  far  away,  as  prisoners.  They  are  released 
now,  but  are  very  poor,  and  received  no  compensation. 

"  The  commissioners  who  made  the  treaty  at  Medicine  Bluffs,  proved  that  they  came 
from  Washington,  and  were  chiefs,  by  giving  us  presents.  I  hope  you  will  give  us 
the  same  evidence  that  you  are  chiefs." 

BUFFALO  GOOD,  Waco  chief,  said  :  "  I  am  glad  to  see  my  brothers.  The  Washing- 
ton has  sent  you  a  long  way  to  see  the  red  men.  The  Good  Spirit  is  looking  into  our 
hearts,  and  I  hope  you  will  do  what  you  say.  You  can  see  how  poor  the  Indians  are  ; 
many  chiefs  have  come  from  Washington,  but  we  are  all  poorer  now  than  when  we 
first  saw  them.  When  my  people  first  made  peace  with  the  whites,  we  lived  in  Texas, 
and  had  a  reservation  on  the  Brazos.  Then  the  agents  and  those  who  had  business 
with  us  were  Texas  people,  and  all  their  promises  were  kept ;  since  we  left  there  we 
have  been  badly  treated.  We  have  been  011  the  white  mau's  road  a  long  while ;  have 
always  been  friendly,  and  willing  to  listen  to  what  you  say  to  us.  At  first,  the  agents 
kept  their  promises  to  us,  but  they  grew  worse  and  worse,  till  we  believe  now  they 
tell  us  nothing  but  lies.  Our  first  agent  (Major  Neighbors)  was  the  best  one  we  ever 
had.  All  the  land  around  here  belonged  to  us  ;  our  fathers  lived  and  died  here.  Right 
where  this  house  stands,  some  of  our  chiefs  are  buried.  This  is  truth.  The  Great 
Spirit  knows  what  I  say,  and  would  bring  some  judgment  on  me  if  I  spoke  falsely,  as 
he  did  on  one  of  our  agents,  who  told  so  many  lies.  We  have  a  good  country,  and  get 
poor  on  it.  When  the  Good  Spirit  gave  us  the  country,  he  gave  us  corn  the  same  as 
he  did  to  tlie  white  man,  but  the  white  man  seems  to  have  more  sense  to  make  more 
out  of  the  laud  j  but  we  have  always  planted  and  raised  corn,  and  will  continue  to 
do  so. 

"  When  we  first  made  a  treaty  we  were  promised  help  to  live  like  white  people,  to 
have  houses  built  for  us,  schools  for  our  children,  &c.,  but  we  have  not  got  any  of  them. 
I  want  to  see  some  of  them.  When  we  ask  our  agent  for  anything  he  says  he  has  no 
money.  We  get  nothing  but  promises.  During  the  war  we  had  to  go  to  Kansas ;  an 
agent  was  sent  to  us  there ;  when  we  asked  anything,  he  said  he  would  write  to  Wash- 
ington, and  that  was  all  we  ever  got  from  him.  They  have  taken  the  traders  away 
from  us,  so  we  cannot  buy  anything.  What  have  I  or  my  people  ever  done  that  we 
should  be  treated  in  this  way  ?  And  you  have  taken  away  the  ration  of  beef,  as  well 
as  the  sugar  and  coffee.  You  ask  the  Kiowas  and  others  to  settle  down,  but  they  will 
not  do  it  on  the  ration  you  give  them.  Not  long  ago  I  asked  Superintendent  Hoag 
why  something  was  not  done  for  the  Wichitas  and  Caddoes.  He  said  these  commis- 
sioners were  coming  from  Washington,  who  would  fix  all  these  things.  Now  you  are 
come  it  will  be  a  good  time  to  settle  all  about  the  ration,  and  the  annuity  goods  which 
have  been  promised  a  long  time,  but  have  not  come  yet.  These  white  men  (interpre- 
ters) have  been  with  us  a  long  time  and  know  these  things  are  true.  When  we  were 
moved  out  of  Texas  we  were  promised  pay  for  our  improvements  and  stock  that  was 
lost,  but  have  never  got  anything. 

"  I  have  said  a  great  deal  because  you  asked  us  to  say  what  we  had  to  say.  You 
told  us  in  the  beginning  what  you  would  do  ;  I  hope  you  will  do  it ;  I  had  rather  you 
had  promised  nothing  than  for  you  to  promise  and  not  perform." 

MAN-O-WA,  chief  of  the  Co-cha-tin-ka,  or  Buffalo  band  of  Comanches,  one  of  the 


EEPOET    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS.  23 

prisoners  taken  at  Santa  F6,  and  lately  set  at  liberty  at  Fort  Leaven  worth,  said :  "  There 
are  a  great  many  braves  and  chiefs,  both  Indians  and  whites  ;  they  are  all  trying  to 
find  one  good  road;  I  hope  you  will  succeed.  My  heart  is  like  a  woman's  heart.  I 
have  little  to  say.  My  brother  Esse-hah-bit  has  spoken  for  ns.  I  hope  the  houses  will 
be  built  for  him  and  for  us.  The  country  left  is  not  large,  but  I  know  it  is  all  we  can 
get.  We  want  to  follow  Esse-hah-bit's  track,  and  do  as  he  does,  and  we  are  ready  to 
listen  to  General  Grierson  and  the  white  chiefs,  and  do  what  they  say." 

Mr.  DODGE  said :  "  We  have  come  a  great  way  from  the  east  to  see  you.  We  are  not 
Indian  agents;  we  live  at  home  and  have  our  own  business,  but  the  Great  Father  sent 
us  to  see  you.  We  have  not  come  to  make  treaties,  or  to  make  presents.  But  the  Great 
Father  has  heard  many  stories.  There  are  good  Indians  and  bad  ones,  good  whites  and 
bad  ones.  We  are  come  to  hear  what  you  have  to  say,  and  will  report  it  to  the  Great 
Father.  He  and  all  the  good  whites  want  the  Indians  to  do  well  and  to  come  and 
live  here  on  their  reservations,  and  they  will  be  protected ;  but  if  the  young  men 
wander  oft'  and  go  on  the  war  path  into  Texas  or  elsewhere  they  must  be  punished. 
The  Great  Father  does  not  want  to  give  you  guns  or  powder,  but  wants  you  to  have 
clothing,  food,  and  farming  implements,  and  help  you  to  raise  corn  and  support  your- 
selves. He  will  be  careful  to  send  you  good  agents  hereafter,  who  will  give  you  all  that 
is  promised.  We  promise  you  nothing;  we  did  not  come  to  give  you  anything,  but  will 
carry  all  your  words  to  the  Great  Father.  He  wants  you  to  cultivate  your  lands,  and 
become  a  part  of  this  great  nation.  I  advise  you  not  to  drink  whisky ;  it  has  been  the 
ruin  of  all  the  Indians  who  indulge  in  it,  and  will  be  yours  if  you  do  not  keep  away 
from  it." 

Mr.  BISHOP  said:  "When  the  Indians  meet  white  chief  in  council  they  always  like 
something  good  to  eat  and  drink  ;  therefore  we  are  going  to  give  you  some  sugar  and 
coffee,  which  you  will  get  to-morrow  when  yon  draw  your  rations.  This  is  given  you 
by  the  commissioners  and  is  not  part  of  your  regular  ration.  When  we  go  to  Wash- 
ington we  will  ask  that  sugar  and  coffee  be  sent  you  for  yonr  rations  every  day.  We 
do  not  promise  you  that  it  will  be  done,  but  we  will  ask  for  it." 

Mr.  BRUNOT  :  "  There  is  one  thing  I  am  afraid  the  chiefs  do  not  understand  :  Wash- 
ington is  very  strong  and  has  many  soldiers.  He  wants  you  all  to  stay  on  your  reser- 
vation, and  if  your  young  men  will  go  into  Texas  or  Kansas,  he  will  send  soldiers  after 
them,  and  they  will  be  killed.  We  are  your  friends  and  don't  Avant  this  to  happen. 
Some  of  the  Cheyemies  have  been  behaving  badly,  and  some  of  them  have  been  killed. 
Their  chief  has  sent  for  them  to  come  in  and  stay  on  their  reservation  where  they  will 
have  peace,  and  we  want  you  to  keep  on  your  reservation,  and  not  leave  it  without 
permission  from  our  authorities." 

Mr.  DODGE  said :  "  Mr.  Tatum,  your  agent,  has  left  his  family  and  home  to  do  you 
good.  He  is  a  good  man,  and  we  advise  you  to  listen  to  him.  He  will  tell  you  the 
truth  and  will  not  bring  whisky  into  your  country.  Bad  white  men  have  given  whisky 
to  all  the  tribes  in  the  east  and  they  have  all  perished  from  it ;  it  is  bad  ;  keep  it  away 
from  you." 

Some  remarks  were  made  by  Mr.  Tatum,  the  agent,  and  by  Mr.  Pugh,  of  the  Society 
of  Friends,  after  which  the  council  broke  up. 

CHAS.  FINDLAY, 

Secretary  to  Committee. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  speeches  that  they  are  desirous  to  live  in 
houses  and  have  farms  like  white  men.  It  is  of  the  greatest  import- 
ance, and  we  respectfully  urge  that  houses  should  promptly  be  erected 
for  Esee-hah-bit,  Mow-wa,  and  other  influential  chiefs  who  have  given 
proofs  of  their  honesty  of  purpose,  so  that  their  example  may  induce 
others. 

To  the  Wichitas  the  promise  of  aid  in  the  direction  of  civilization  is 
an  old  story,  and  their  past  history  is  one  which  might  well  paralyze 
hope  in  stronger  minds  than  theirs.  They  are  not  named  in  the  Medicine 
Lodge  Creek  treaty,  and,  in  consequence  of  the  omission,  are  here,  as 
they  seem  to  think,  on  sufferance.  Their  ancestors  inhabited  the  Wi- 
chita Mountains,  where  from  time  immemorial  they  were  tillers  of  the 
soil,  as  well  as  hunters  and  warriors,  and  around  which  they  claimed 
dominion  over  a  large  district  of  country.  When  visited  by  an  officer 
of  the  United  States  in  1834  they  were  living  in  thatched  huts,  culti- 
vating corn,  beans,  melons,  pumpkins,  &c.,  and  exchanging  the  prod- 
ucts of  their  prolific  laud,  and  bows  and  arrows  which  they  manufac- 
tured, with  the  Indians  of  the  plains  for  mules,  horses,  and  buffalo  robes. 


24  REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

They  subsequently  removed  their  village  to  Bush  Creek.  When  the 
government  sent  a  party  of  engineers  to  mark  the  ninety-eighth  paral- 
lel, the  western  boundary  of  the  country  given  to  the  Chickasaws,  the 
Wichitas  were  assured  that  the  Great  Father  at  Washington  would 
pay  them  for  the  land  he  needed,  and  give  them  a  home  and  take  care 
of  them;  whereupon  they  guided  and  guarded  the  party  with  great 
kindness.  The  result  disclosed  the  fact  that  their  village  was  in  the 
Chickasaw  country.  Soon  after,  their  chiefs  were  induced  by  the  United 
States  officers  at  Fort  Arbuckle  to  visit  the  Comanches  on  the  plains  to 
solicit  the  restoration  of  stolen  stock,  and  to  invite  them  to  a  peace 
council  to  be  held  with  the  officers  at  the  Wichita  village.  The  chiefs 
were  successful  in  their  mission  ;  and  when  a  band  of  six  hundred  Co- 
manches  reached  the  neighborhood  of  the  village,  they  were  surprised 
at  daybreak  by  Major  Van  Dorn,  with  six  companies  of  cavalry,  many 
of  them  killed,  and  all  their  property  taken  or  destroyed.  Major  Yau 
Dorn,  it  is  said,  had  not  been  apprised  of  the  arrangement.  To  escape 
the  vengeance  of  the  Comanches  for  their  supposed  treachery,  the  un- 
fortunate Wichitas  fled  from  their  homes  and  became  wanderers.  In 
1854  General  (then  Captain)  K.  B.  Marcy,  with  Major  Neighbours,  a 
special  agent  of  the  government,  was  sent  to  the  Wichitas  with  the 
promise  of  a  permanent  home.  They  were  also  promised  schools,  in- 
struction in  agriculture,  implements,  &c.,  and  subsistence  until  they 
had  become  able  to  subsist  themselves.  They  were  accordingly  settled 
on  the  Brazos  Eiver.  From  thence  they  were  again  driven  by  the  Tex- 
ans,  and  took  refuge  in  the  neighborhood  of  Fort  Arbuckle  and  old 
Fort  Cobb,  where  the  beginning  of  the  rebellion  found  them.  True  to 
the  United  States,  they  once  more  abandoned  their  homes,  following 
the  troops  north  into  Kansas.  After  the  war  was  ended,  greatly  re- 
duced in  numbers  by  starvation  and  disease,  they  returned  to  the  vicin- 
ity of  their  old  home,  Kush  Creek.  The  treaty  of  Medicine  Lodge 
Creek  has  given  that  home  and  the  surrounding  country — the  bones  of 
their  fathers  and  the  bread  of  their  children — to  others. 

With  such  experiences  in  the  past,  the  Wichitas  and  affiliated  bands 
are  greatly  disheartened  and  naturally  incredulous  as  to  the  good  inten- 
tions of  the  government  toward  them.  They  are  nevertheless  submis- 
sive and  patient.  They  wish  only  to  live  in  peace,  and  be  permitted  to  own 
the  ground  they  cultivate  and  occupy.  It  is  believed  that  an  arrangement 
can  readily  be  made  with  the  Kiowas,  Comanches,  and  Apaches,  by 
which  the  district  the  Wichitas  occupy  may  be  secured  to  them;  and 
we  recommend  that  immediate  measures  be  taken  to  that  end.  There 
should  be  no  delay  in  erecting  the  long-promised  school-house,  which  is 
so  earnestly  desired  by  them,  and  in  other  ways  redeeming  the  broken 
pledges  of  the  government. 

We  have  been  informed  that  the  Wichitas  claim  a  money  compensa- 
tion for  the  extensive  country  said  to  have  been  owned  by  them  and 
never  ceded,  and  that  the  prosecution  of  their  claim  is  in  the  hands  of 
parties  residing  in  Washington  and  elsewhere.  However  large  a  sum 
might  be  allowed,  there  is  reason  to  believe  'but  little  benefit  would 
accrue  to  the  Indians.  Assuming,  as  we  do,  that  the  proper  relation 
between  the  government  and  the  uncivilized  Indian  is  that  of  guardian 
and  ward,  the  government  is  the  only  proper  custodian  of  the  funds 
due  or  belonging  to  them.  Whatever  may  be  allowed  to  the  Wichitas 
should  be  invested  or  held  by  the  government  for  their  proper  education 
and  maintenance. 

The  present  relative  position  of  the  Wichitas  and  the  Kiowas  and 
Cornaiiches  suggests  an  evil  demoralizing  to  both,  which  should  at  once 


REPORT   OF   THE   COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN   AFFAIRS.  25 

be  corrected.  The  former  being  patient  and  obedient,  are  neglected  and 
poor,  and  their  lands  are  taken  from  them ;  the  latter  being  wild  and 
troublesome,  are  made  the  recipients  of  the  lands.  It  is  rewarding  evil 
and  punishing  good.  The  one  lives  under  a  sense  of  the  injustice;  the 
other  is  taught  to  think  war  profitable.  In  dealing  both  with  the  tribes  and 
with  individuals  special  pains  should  be  taken  to  reverse  this  treatment. 

From  Fort  Sill  the  Committee  recommended  changes  in  the  Indian 
ration,  as  at  Camp  Supply,  and  that  the  transportation  of  Indian  goods 
be  done  by  the  Quartermaster's  Department  of  the  army,  as  tending  to 
secure  greater  promptness  and  safety.  Until  the  Indians  are  fairly 
settled  in  their  reservations,  and  have  been  led  to  understand  and  believe 
in  the  good  intentions  of  the  United  States,  and  that  the  vacillating 
policy,  which  has  heretofore  excited  their  contempt,  is  permanently 
abandoned,  it  is  important  that  they  should  have  before  their  eyes  the 
evidence  of  the  power  of  the  government.  Although  the  probabilities 
are  now  that  they  will  remain  in  peace  on  the  reservation,  they  are  yet 
in  a  comparatively  unsettled  state,  and  are  naturally  impulsive  and 
easily  excited.  There  are  and  will  be,  necessarily,  real  or  imaginary 
causes  of  discontent,  such  as  the  refusal  of  ammunition,  impatience  with 
government  delays,  the  punishment  of  individual  trangressors,  &c.,  which 
the  restless  or  bad  spirits  among  them  will  greatly  exaggerate  for  the 
purpose  of  inducing  large  bands  to  go  to  the  plains  or  upon  raiding 
expeditions.  The  presence  of  an  adequate  military  force  will  greatly 
strengthen  the  peace  and  submissiou  party,  and  prevent  any  serious 
outbreak  on,  or  exodus  from,  the  reservation.  For  these  reasons  we 
recommend  that  the  military  force  should  be  increased  at  both  reserva- 
tions, but  especially  at  Fort  Sill.  In  view  of  the  location  of  the  new  mili- 
tary post  and  agency  for  the  Cheyeimes  and  Arapahoes  on  the  North  Fork 
of  the  Canadian,  and  the  opening  of  a  new  road,  via  that  point,  from  Fort 
Harker  to  Fort  Sill,  the  committee  are  of  the  opinion  that  Fort  Dodge 
should  be  abandoned.  It  is  probable  that  there  are  several  more  posts 
upon  the  railway  which  are  no  longer  useful.  The  policy  of  concentra- 
ting the  military  force  upon  the  reservations,  and  maintaining  a  more 
efficient  surveillance,  would  probably  be  found  better  than  to  distribute 
them  at  so  many,  points  as  now.  The  necessity  of  the  presence  of  troops 
among  the  Indians  is  greatly  to  be  regretted,  as  presenting  one  of  the 
most  serious  obstacles  in  the  way  of  their  elevation.  The  evil  cannot 
be  cured,  but  may  be  greatly  palliated  by  the  enforcement  of  such  regu- 
lations as  will  secure,  as  nearly  as  possible,  absolute  non-intercourse 
between  Indians  and  soldiers.  The  personal  and  moral  character  of  the 
officers,  it  is  hoped,  will  continue  to  be  an  important  consideration  in 
selecting  those  who  shall  be  located  in  the  Indian  country. 

In  locating  agencies  they  should  be  not  less  than  eight  or  ten  miles 
distant  from  the  fort.  In  employing  farmers,  mechanics,  engineers,  &c., 
and  in  the  licensing  of  traders,  the  selection  should  be  made  as  far  as 
possible  from  married  men,  who  will  be  accompanied  by  their  families, 
and  they  should  be  in  all  cases  persons  of  good  moral,  religious  charac- 
ter. 

The  regulation  of  trade  with  the  uncivilized  Indians  is  a  subject  need- 
ing attention,  and  is  surrounded  with  difficulties.  The  success  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  in  retaining  friendly  relations  and  the  confidence 
of  the  Indians,  was  in  a  great  degree  due  to  the  fact  that  the  articles 
allowed  to  be  furnished  by  the  traders,  as  well  as  their  quality  and 
price,  were  strictly  defined,  and  were  permitted  to  be  exchanged  only 
for  peltries.  (See  Appendix  C.) 

The  United  States  government  stands  to  their  incompetent  wards  in 


26  EEPORT    OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

the  relation  of  parents  or  guardians  to  minors,  and  should  protect  them 
against  the  trade  which  tempts  them,  with  trinkets  and  sweetmeats,  to 
part  with  the  clothing,  blankets,  subsistence,  or  implements  given  to 
them.  How  far  the  purchase  of  mules  and  horses  from  the  Indians 
should  be  permitted,  or  whether  it  should  be  prohibited  strictly,  is  a 
question  of  importance.  To  furnish  a  market  for  them  upon  the  reser- 
vation would  certainly  seem  to  encourage  raids  for  their  acquisition. 
The  paramount  importance  of  the  enforcement  of  the  laws  against  the 
introduction  of  spirituous  liquors,  need  hardly  be  urged  by  the  commit- 
tee. (See  Appendix  D.)  The  eiforts  of  Brevet  Major  General  Grierson, 
commanding  Fort  Sill,  and  of  Colonel  Nelson,  at  Camp  Supply,  in  this 
direction,  challenge  our  commendation. 

The  Indians  need  to  be  managed  in.  a  kindly  and  benevolent  spirit, 
yet  with  firmness  and  without  fear.  They  should  be  allowed  to  gain 
nothing  by  threatening  or  bad  conduct,  and  much  by  submission.  Every 
treaty  obligation  of  the  government  should  be  observed  to  the  letter, 
and  they  should  be  taught  that  like  good  faith  on  their  part  will  be 
expected  and  enforced.  Patience  and  moderation  are  eminently  neces- 
sary for  their  successful  control. 

Brevet  Major  General  Hazen,  who  had  charge  of  the  Kiowas  and 
Comauches  under  the  orders  of  the  War  Department,  managed  the 
affairs  of  the  agency  wisely,  and  it  is  hoped  that  his  successor  will  be  fur- 
nished with  whatever  funds  may  be  necessary  to  carry  on  his  judicious 
plans  for  their  benefit.  The  military  command  of  the  reservation  has 
been  held  by  Brevet  Major  General  B.  H.  Grierson.  The  efficient  and 
discreet  manner  in  which  he  has  performed  important  duty  in  collecting 
and  controlling  the  Indians,  and  our  conviction  that  he  is  peculiarly 
adapted  to  this  command,  leads  us  to  express  the  hope  that  he  will  be 
retained  in  it.  The  militarv  headquarters  should  continue  at  Fort 
Sill. 

The  plan  of  collecting  these  Indian  tribes  into  the  Indian  territory 
with  a  view  to  civilize,  educate,  christianize,  and  elevate  them  to  the 
privileges  of  citizenship,  meets  our  hearty  approval.  The  location  of 
both  reservations  is  in  several  particulars  the  very  best  that  could  be 
found.  We  look  forward  to  success  in  the  effort  to  civilize  the  nomadic 
tribes  with  confidence,  notwithstanding  the  many  difficulties  and  obsta- 
cles which  interpose;  but  their  elevation  can  only  be  the  result  of 
patient,  persevering,  and  long  continued  effort.  To  expect  the  civiliza- 
tion and  christianization  of  any  barbarous  people  within  the  term  of  a 
few  short  years,  would  be  to  ignore  all  the  facts  of  history — all  the 
experiences  of  human  nature.  Within  the  term  of  your  administration 
their  condition  may  be  greatly  improved,  and  the  foundations  laid 
broadly  and  firmly  of  a  policy  which  the  newly-awakened  sense  of  jus- 
tice and  humanity  in  the  American  people  will  never  permit  to  be  aban- 
doned until  it  has  accomplished  the  intended  result. 

The  committee  left  Camp  Supply  on  the  23d,  and  arrived  at  Fort 
Harker  on  the  4th  of  September,  taking  the  route  through  the  Arapa- 
hoe  and  Cheyenne  reservation,  and  passing  by  the  location  which  had 
been  selected  for  the  agency.  In  passing  through,  our  opinions  of  the 
propriety  of  changing  the  location  were  confirmed.  Several  buildings 
had  been  erected  under  the  direction  of  General  Hazen,  and  a  consider- 
able amount  of  Indian  goods  stored  in  anticipation  of  their  coming. 
There  was  also  a  herd  of  several  hundred  cattle  in  readiness  for  their 
subsistence.  We  had  already  advised  Agent  Darlington  to  leave  the 
reservation  and  remain  with  the  Indians,  and  we  learn  that  the  stores 
have  since  been  removed. 


REPORT   OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN  AFFAIRS.  27 

k 

We  desire,  in  conclusion,  to  express  our  obligations  personally,  as 
well  as  officially,  to  the  United  States  military  officers  at  Fort  Leaven- 
worth,  Fort  Hays,  Camp  Sully,  Fort  Sill,  and  Fort  Harker,  for  many 
courtesies  and  attentions. 
Bespectfully  submitted. 

FELIX  B.  BKTJNOT,  Chairman. 
NATHAN  BISHOP. 
WM.  E.  DODGE. 


Appendices  to  C  1. 


In  1819-'20  Colonel  Long,  of  the  United  States  Topographical  Engineers,  on  his  return 
from  the  exploration  of  the  Missouri  River,  and  the  country  lying  Between  that  stream 
and  the  head  of  the  Arkansas,  undertook  to  descend  the  Red  River  from  its  sources. 
The  colonel,  in  speaking  of  this  in  his  interesting  report,  says:  "We  arrived  at  a  creek, 
having  a  westerly  course,  which  we  took  to  be  a  tributary  of  the  Red  River.  Having 
traveled  down  its  valley  about  two  hundred  miles  we  fell  in  with  a  party  of  Indians  of 
the  nation  of  '  Kaskias'  or  '  Bad  'Hearts,'  who  gave  us  to  understand  that  the  stream 
along  which  we  were  traveling  was  Red  River.  We  accordingly  continued  our  march 
down  the  river  several  hundred  miles  farther,  when,  to  our  no  small  disappointment, 
we  discovered  it  was  the  Canadian  of  the  Arkansas  instead  of  Red  River  that  we  had 
been  exploring." 

"The  Mexicans  and  Indians,  on  the  borders  of  Mexico,  are  in  the  habit  of  calling  any 
river,  the  waters  of  which  have  a  red  appearance,  '  Rio  Colorado'  or  Red  River,  and 
they  have  applied  this  name  to  the  Canadian,  in  common  with  several  others;  and 
as  many  of  the  prairie  Indians  often  visit  the  Mexicans,  and  some  even  speak  the  Span- 
ish language,  it  is  a  natural  consequence  that  they  should  adopt  the  same  nomencla- 
ture for  rivers,  places,  &c.  Thus,  if  a  traveller  in  New  Mexico  were  to  inquire  for  the 
head  of  Red  River,  he  would  most  undoubtedly  be  directed  to  the  Canadian,  and  same 
would  also  be  the  case  in  the  adjacent  Indian  country.  These  facts  will  account  for 
the  mistake  into  which  Baron  Humboldt  was  led,  and  it  will  also  account  for  the  error 
into  which  Colonel  Long  and  Lieutenant  Pike  have  fallen  in  regard  to  the  sources  of 
the.streani  which  we  call  Red  River." 

B. 

The  following  extract  from  a  report  of  Brevet  Major  General  B.  H.  Grierson  to  head- 
quarters of  department  of  Missouri,  made  July  14,  1868,  describes  more  fully  the  loca- 
tion of  the  fort : 

"  I  am  decidedly  of  the  opinion  that  for  the  purpose  of  controlling  the  Indian  tribes 
inclined  to  be  lawless  and  troublesome,  preventing  marauding  parties  so  often  visiting 
northwestern  Texas,  and  of  protecting  the  Chickasaw  and  Seminole  borders,  and  the 
peaceable  tribes  still  further  west,  who  are  endeavoring  to  fulfill  their  obligations  to 
the  government,  from  molestation  by  the  wild  bands,  a  new  post  to  be  garrisoned  by 
cavalry  should  be  at  once  established  west  of  Fort  Arbuckle.  ****** 

I  gave  particular  attention  to  the  selection  of  the  best  location  for  such  a  station. 

******* 

"At  a  point  eight  miles  north  and  seventy  miles  west  from  Fort  Arbuckle,  the  most 
practicable  route  being  about  seventy-five  miles,  I  found  what  I  considered,  on  the 
whole,  the  best  location  for  a  military  post  in  the  southwestern  portion  of  the  Territory. 

"  It  is  a  tract  of  high  level  prairie  land,  containing  about  two  hundred  acres,  situated 
just  at  the  base  of  the  range  of  hills  which  are  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  Wichita 
Mountains.  Mount  Scott,  the  highest  peak  of  the  Wichita  chain,  is  seven  or  eight  miles 
west  by  north ;  a  perpendicular  cliff  of  trap  rock,  known  by  all  the  Indians  as  Medicine 
Bluff,  is  a  mile  and  a  half  in  the  same  direction  ;  and  immediately  west  of  the  plateau, 
and  thirty  feet  lower  in  level,  are  three  or  four  hundred  acres  of  level  prairie  laud. 
The  northern  boundary  of  the  plateau  is  a  beautiful  pure  stream  of  good  size,  running 
in  a  deep  pebbly  bed  from  springs  in  the  mountains  north  and  west  of  Mount  Scott, 
and  skirting  the  foot  of  the  cliff  mentioned,  called  Medicine  Bluff  Creek. 

"In  passing  the  plateau  the  stream  joins  the  main  Cache  Creek,  which  from  the  junc- 
tion flows  at  the  northeast  and  east  sides,  there  being  between  the  creek  and  the  high 
ground  a  meadow  of  two  or  three  hundred,  fully  fifty  feet  lower,  but  dry,  never  over 


28  KEPORT    OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

flowed,  and  of  remarkable  fertility.  To  the  southward,  traversed  only  by  ravines,  dry 
watercourses,  and  Cache  Creek,  with  its  branches,  the  high  prairie  extends  to  the  Red 
River.  The  water  of  the  creek,  than  which  none  could  be  more  pure  and  healthy,  is 
abundant  for  the  men  and  animals  of  a  large  command.  There  are  also,  within  a  short 
distance,  a  number  of  fine  never-failing  springs,  some  having  strong  mineral  properties. 
Timber  suitable  for  building  purposes  is  not  at  all  abundant  anywhere  in  the  south- 
western portion  of  the  Territory,  but  there  is  more  oak  of  different  kinds,  cottonwood, 
walnut,  cedar,  ash,  elm,  hackberry,  mulberry,  and  china  upon  Cache  Creek  and  its 
branches  than  anywhere  else. 

"Excellent  stone  for  building,  of  several  varieties  and  in  unlimited  quantities,  can  be 
easily  quarried  Avithin  a  short  distance.  Good  limestone  is  also  abundant.  The  graz- 
ing in  this  section  surpasses  anything  I  ever  saw.  The  varieties  of  grass  are  numerous, 
and  among  them  are  buffalo,  mesquite,  and  gramma  grasses,  all  abundant  and  especi- 
ally nutritious.  Buffalo,  cattle,  and  horses  graze  here  the  year  round,  keeping  in  excel- 
lent condition.  While  old  Fort  Cobb  was  garrisoned,  all  the  hay  used  was  made  here 
and  hauled  almost  forty  miles  to  that  post.  The  climate  is  delightful,  and  can  hardly 
be  otherwise  than  healthy.  I  examined  the  country  in  all  directions,  and  found  no 
standing  water  or  moist  bottoms;  all  is  high  and  dry." 

C. 

At  Camp  Supply  the  price  paid  for  a  buffalo  robe  is  from  seven  to  ten  cups  of  sugar, 
and  two  to  five  cups  of  coffee,  according  to  quality.  "  Porcupine  robes,"  which  is  the 
designation  for  robes  finely  ornamented  with  quills,  sometimes  command  as  high  as 
fifteen  cups  of  sugar. 

A  cup  of  sugar  contains  about  three-fourths  (f )  of  a  pound.  A  cup  of  coffee,  half  (^) 
a  pound. 

D. 

[General  Orders  No.  5.] 

HEADQUARTERS  DISTRICT  INDIAN  TERRITORY, 

Camp  Wichita,  Wichita  Mountains,  April  1,  1869. 

The  introduction  of  spirituous  liquors  or  wine  into  the  Indian  country,  or  the  dis- 
posal of  the  same  therein,  by  sale  or  otherwise,  is  prohibited  by  act  of  Congress. 

Officers  and  enlisted  men,  as  well  as  all  civilians,  are  hereby  notified  that  the  law 
will  hereafter  be  rigidly  enforced  within  the  limits  of  this  command. 

Commanding  officers  of  posts,  garrisons,  and  detachments  are  hereby  specially  charged 
with  the  detection  and  arrest  of  all  offenders  at  or  in  the  vicinity  of  their  respective 
stations.  They  will  at  once  prefer  charges  against  persons  in  the  military  service,  and 
will  hold  citizens  in  confinement,  subject  to  orders  from  these  headquarters,  or  the 
demand  of  the  proper  civil  authorities. 

Liquor  or  wines,  except  for  medical  purposes,  in  the  hands  of  the  properly  authorized 
persons,  will  be  seized  wherever  found,  and  turned  over  to  the  nearest  medical  officer 
of  the  army. 

By  order  of  Colonel  and  Brevet  Major  General  B.  H.  Grierson : 

R.  H.  PRATT, 
First  Lieutenant  Tenth  Cavalry,  Brevet  Captain,  A.  A.  A.  G. 


02. 

CHICAGO,  November  4,  1869. 

DEAR  SIR:  I  will  attend  the  meeting  called  for  the  17th,  unless  some- 
thing unforeseen  should  occur  to  prevent.  In  regard  to  my  giving  you 
the  result  of  my  observation  and  inquiry  while  on  my  recent  trip  to  Cal- 
ifornia, I  will  simply  state  a  few  general  conclusions,  without  going  into 
any  details,  or  at  least  but  a  few  facts. 

First.  I  think  the  only  correct  basis  for  the  government  to  act  upon 
in  dealing  with  Indians  is,  that  they  are  simply  wards,  and  not  inde- 
pendent sovereignties. 

Second.  Such  a  basis  fixed,  to  compass  the  settlement  of  all  difficul- 


REPORT   OP   THE   COMMISSION   ON   INDIAN  AFFAIRS.  29 

ties  that  exist,  or  may  arise  hereafter,  the  government  should  fix  perma- 
nent locations  for  all  the  tribes,  grouping  them  according  to  circum- 
stances, in  the  southern  territories  now  occupied  by  Indians,  in  which 
stock-raising  and  farming  can  most  easily  be  made  successful.  This 
will  be  the  work  of  years,  but  should  be  entered  upon  at  once. 

Third.  If  such  a  policy  is  inaugurated,  it  must  be  done  by  large  ex- 
penditures of  money,  and  the  general  management  of  its  execution  should 
"be  in  the  hands  of  some  one  thoroughly  competent  to  deal  with  Indian 
character,  from  a  knowledge  of  it  practically,  and  who  has  influence 
,  with  the  leading  men  among  at  least  some  principal  tribes. 

Fourth.  The  expenditure  of  money  should  be  made  with  the  end  always 
in  view  of  providing  permanent  individual  homes,  without  which  the  in- 
stitutions of  civilization  or  religion  can  never  be  established  among 
them.  The  Indian  now  thinks  that  the  government  is  seeking  his  ruin. 
He  must  be  made  to  feel  that  it  is  seeking  to  benefit  him  as  a  race,  by 
raising  him  above  his  present  mode  of  life. 

Fifth.  The  expense  of  such  a  course,  in  my  judgment,  will  not  be  one- 
halt'  the  amount  that  a  hostile  policy  would  entail,  while  it  would  end 
in  making  the  whole  race  self-supporting. 

Probably  all  will  agree  that  the  rapid  development  of  our  western 
Territories,  by  which  the  Indians  have  been  gradually  driven  from  one 
reservation  to  another,  together  with  dishonest  management,  and  execu- 
tion of  treaties  by  bad  agents,  have  caused  most  of  our  Indian  wars. 

Brigham  Young  stated  to  me  that  the  Mormons  had  never  had  any 
serious  difficulty  with  the  Indians,  from  the  fact  that  they  had  always  con- 
sidered it  cheaper  to  feed  than  to  fight  them,  and  had  therefore  treated 
them  kindly,  learning  them  to  cultivate  the  soil  and  raise  stock. 

Colonel  Head,  the  Indian  agent  for  that  Territory,  in  which  there  are 
some  25,000  Indians,  said  to  me  that  he  had  demonstrated  the  fact  that 
the  Indians  could  be  made  to  work  and  support  themselves,  in  a  very 
few  years,  with  the  proper  kind  of  treatment. 

One  tribe  of  2,500,  with  the  aid  of  $5,000,  had  this  season  raised 
$30,000  worth  of  crops. 

Another  of  1,500,  with  $500  aid,  had  raised  $10,000  worth  of  crops. 

Another  of  1,000,  with  $500  aid,  had  raised  $5,000  worth  of  crops. 

Another  of  500,  with  $350  aid,  had  raised  $1,000  worth  of  crops. 

Another  had  four  farms,  and  with  $500  aid  had  raised  $7,000  in  crops. 

One  tribe  had  five  thousand  peach  trees  that  they  had  planted  and 
raised. 

All  the  above  results  were  reached  in  three  years'  work  by  the  gov- 
ernment. 

I  am  convinced  that  our  commission  can  do  nothing,  and  it  will  be 
worse  than  useless  for  them  to  spend  their  time,  and  the  government's 
money,  in  taking  observations,  unless  active  measures  are  at  once  taken 
to  concentrate  them  as  tribes,  and  then  individualize  them,  by  making 
them  feel  that  each  one  must  have  a  home,  and  a  responsibility  of  his 
own. 

With  great  respect,  I  am  yours,  very  truly. 

JOHN  V.  FAEWELL. 

Hon.  FELIX  E.  BRUNOT, 

President  of  Indian  Commission. 


30  KEPORT   OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN  AFFAIRS. 

C3. 

Report  of  the  Hon.  Vincent  Colyer,  United  States  special  Indian  commis- 
sioner, on  the  Indian  tribes  and  reservations  of  Eastern  Kansas,  Indian 
Territory,  Northern  Texas,  New  Mexico,  Northeastern  Arizona,  and 
Southeastern  Colorado,  obtained  by  personal  observation  and  inspection 
among  these  tribes  during  the  year  1869. 

DEAR  SIR  :  As  the  facts  contained  in  this  report  were  obtained  under 
the  auspices  and  at  the  expense  of  the  United  States  Indian  Commis- 
sion of  New  York,  without  cost  to  the  United  States  government,  and 
previous  to  the  organization  of  our  board  of  Indian  commissioners,  and 
my  appointment  thereon,  it  will  be  necessary,  for  an  intelligent  under- 
standing of  the  present  extensive  movement  on  behalf  of  the  Indians, 
that  I  shall  briefly  refer  to  the  doings  of  that  association. 

Two  years  ago  we  received  from  Hon.  E.  D.  Morgan,  then  United 
States  senator  from  New  York,  a  copy  of  the  report  on  the  condition  of 
our  Indian  tribes,  made  by  the  joint  committee  of  Congress,  at  its  ses- 
sion in  1807.  The  distribution  of  this  report  and  its  perusal  by  the 
Christian  philanthropists  of  our  country,  led  to  the  formation  in  the  city 
of  New  York  of  the  organization  referred  to.  A  list  of  the  officers  of 
the  commission,  appointed  at  a  large  public  meeting  held  in  the  Cooper 
Institute,  on  the  18th  of  October,  1808,  and  a  copy  of  their  first  memo- 
rial addressed  to  Congress,  will  be  found  in  the  Appendix  A. 

In  this  memorial  reference  will  be  found  to  the  kind-hearted  action 
of  General  Sherman  towards  the  Indians,  and  our  association  made 
earnest  effort  to  have  a  portion  of  the  Indian  appropriations  of  1868  and 
1869  placed  under  his  supervision. 

The  United  States  Senate  soon  after  this  appropriated  half  a  million  of 
dollars,  to  be  expended  under  General  Sherman's  direction,  and  the  Gen- 
eral selected  Generals  Hazen  and  Harney,  and  gave  them  control  over 
the  two  great  reservations  in  the  southern  Indian  territory  and  Northern 
Dakota,  with  funds  sufficient  to  commence  the  experiment  of  restraining 
and  civilizing  the  more  troublesome  tribes  of  these  territories. 

As  the  public  generally  seemed  quite  indifferent  to  the  condition  of 
the  Indians,  and  our  representatives  in  Congress,  officers  of  the  Indian 
Bureau,  and  of  our  array,  gave  this  as  the  reason  why  they  were  unable 
to  effect  any  permanent  reformation  on  their  behalf,  our  commission  felt 
it  to  be  their  duty  to  endeavor  to  remedy  this  evil. 

To  this  end  circular  letters  containing  selections  of  the  more  startling 
facts  contained  in  the  congressional  report  of  1867,  at  first  referred  to, 
and  an  address  to  the  people,  prepared  by  our  president,  were  published 
in  nearly  all  the  great  newspapers  of  the  day,  and  widely  circulated. 

Early  in  January,  1869,  the  commission  received  a  letter  from  Major 
General  Hazen,  (see  Appendix  B,)  dated  in  November  past,  avsking  that 
one  of  our  number  be  sent  to  examine  personally  and  report  upon  the 
condition  of  the  tribes  under  his  care  at  Camp  Wichita,  Indian  ter- 
ritory. 

The  commission  promptly  responded  to  this,  and  I  was  selected  for 
the  duty.  Our  commission  having  subscribed  the  necessary  funds  to 
defray  expenses,  with  the  understanding  that  I  was  to  receive  no  pay 
for  my  services,  and  securing  from  General  Grant  an  order  providing 
me  an  escort  and  transportation  whenever  necessary,  (see  Appendix  C,) 
in  the  middle  of  February  I  started  on  my  journey. 

A  heavy  snow-storm  which  met  me  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  a  prolonged 
interview  with  Brevet  Colonel  (now  General)  G.  A.  Forsyth,  then  in  the 


REPORT   OF   THE    COMMISSION   ON   INDIAN   AFFAIRS.  31 

surgeon's  care  at  that  post,  suffering  acutely  from  wounds  which  he  had 
received  in  his  encounter  with  the  Indians  on  Big  Sandy  Creek,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1868,  and  some  very  loud  curses  which  greeted  me  as  an  "Indian 
peace  commissioner"  by  a  Kansas  official,  reminded  me  that  1  was  not 
on  a  "pleasure  excursion." 

I  first  visited  the  half-civilized  tribes  along  the  southeastern  border 
of  Kansas — the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  Chippewas  or  Christian  Indians,  the 
Senecas,  Shawnees,  Quapaws  and  Osages.  I  wished  to  see  the  effects 
of  advancing  civilization  upon  their  condition,  and  to  compare  them 
with  white  people  under  similar  circumstances.  Their  situation  ap- 
peared to  me  deplorable;  while  in  nearly  every  respect,  as  to  cleauli- 
iiess  of  person,  decency  of  appearance,  character  of  their  habitation, 
condition  of  their  fields,  fences,  out-houses,  stock,  and  crops,  they  com- 
pared favorably  with  the  majority  of  their  white  neighbors.  There 
was  a  sadness  of  look,  a  settled  melancholy  of  tone  in  their  manner  and 
.  words  that  was  as  depressing  as  unmistakable.  Under  the  prevailing  im- 
pression that  it  is  the  Indian's  fate  to  depart,  and  the  white  man's 
destiny  to  displace  him,  nearly  all  these  tribes  had  been  induced  to 
sell  their  lands,  either  to  gigantic  railroad  corporations — private,  yet 
powerful  speculators — or  to  squatters,  who  had  located  themselves  on 
their  reservations,  without  even  the  pretense  of  a  right.  Powerless 
alike  against  the  one,  the  other,  or  all  combined,  these  worthy  people, 
who,  under  a  more  Christian,  just,  and  humane  treatment,  might  have 
been  redeemed  and  made  citizens,  were  once  more  being  driven  from  the 
lands  assigned  them,  from  their  farms  and  their  cabins,  and  forced  to 
seek  new  homes  in  another  country,  probably  to  be,  at  some  future  day, 
driven  from  that  country  also. 

The  Osages,  who  number  over  four  thousand  souls,  I  found  to  be 
in  a  state  of  almost  complete  destitution.  Their  extensive  tract  of  land, 
containing  about  eight  million  acres,  nearly  one-third  of  which  is  as 
good  as  any  land  in  Kansas,  they  had  been  induced  to  part  with,  at  a 
price  so  low  (nineteen  cents  per  acre)  that  the  transaction  had  become 
a  public  scandal. 

For  some  time  past  the  War  Department  had  been  feeding  them  at  a 
cost  to  the  treasury  of  nearly  thirty- four  thousand  dollars  for  the  winter. 
(See  Appendix  D.) 

Believiug  this  purchase  to  have  been  an  outrage,  and  the  ratification 
of  the  treaty  confirming  it,  by  the  United  States  Senate,  would  be  a 
public  calamity,  I  sent  a  telegram  east,  which  was  widely  published  in 
the  associated  press,  calling  general  attention  to  its  unfair  character, 
evil  effects,  and  the  starving  condition  of  the  Osages. 

Our  executive  committee  in.  New  York  promptly  followed  up  this 
notice  by  a  petition  to  the  Senate,  which  will  be  found  in  the  Appendix 
marked  E,  remonstrating  against  the  passage  of  the  treaty. 

That  the  Osages,  who  are  a  warlike  tribe,  and  less  civilized  than 
some  of  the  tribes  near  them,  should  have  remained  peaceful,  under 
their  ill  treatment  and  poverty,  speaks  volumes  for  their  general  good 
character.  It  is  a  dangerous  condition  of  things,  however,  and  at  any 
moment  we  may  hear  of  robberies,  and  their  attendant  evil  fruits,  of 
murder  and  devastation  in  their  country.  (See  Appendix  E,  No.  1.) 

THE   CHEROKEES,  CREEKS,   SEMINOLES.  CHICKASAWS,  AND  CHOCTAWS. 

These  nations  so  nearly  resemble  each  other,  that  I  include  them  in 
one  group.  They  are  by  far  the  more  civilized  of  all  the  tribes  in  the 
southern  Indian  territory.  They  owe  their  civilization  to  the  justice 


23  REPORT    OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

and  humanity  of  the  United  States  government,  and  pre-eminently  to 
the  missionaries,  who  have  most  efficiently  and  faithfully  labored 
among-  them  for  the  past  half  century.  These  missionaries  have  been 
supported  by  the  liberal  contributions  of  the  Christian  people  of  the 
States.  With  the  exception  of  the  excellent  mission  among  the  Osages, 
Mr.  Sehoenmaker's,  which  is  Roman  Catholic,  they  are  all  Protestant 
missions.  Presbyterian,  Moravian,  Baptist,  Methodist,  Episcopalian, 
have  all  united  in  the  good  work. 

THE   CHEROKEES — BRIEF  HISTORY. 

This  tribe  originally  inhabited  the  southwestern  portion  of  Virginia, 
and  extended  into  South  Carolina,  as  far  as  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  By  some 
it  is  supposed  thatPowhatan,  the  father  of  Poeahontas,  was  a  Cherokee, 
upon  the  general  assumption  that  we  have  no  record  of  any  other  tribe 
thereabout.  Bancroft  speaks  of  them  as  the  "  mountaineers  of  America." 

The  first  record  which  we  have  of  an  eflfort  to  civilize  them  was  by 
Rev.  Mr.  Blackburn,  an  independent  missionary  who  acted  upon  his 
own  volition.  This  was  about  1808. 

The  first  systematic  effort  was  made  by  the  Moravians  of  Salem,  North 
Carolina,  Avho  in  1818  established  schools  at  a  station  called  Spring 
Place,  then  in  the  old  Cherokee  country,  now  in  the  State  of  Georgia, 
under  the  charge  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  G-ambold.  The  Moravians  of  the 
same  branch  of  the  church  continued  their  work  unto  this  day ;  the 
Rev.  James  Mack  being  their  efficient  and  faithful  representative  at  a 
station  of  the  same  name,  Spring  Place,  in  their  present  locality  west 
of  Arkansas. 

The  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  the  Bap- 
tist Home  Union,  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal,  about  1819,  commenced 
their  work  among  the  Cherokees,  and  as  early  as  1807  some  of  the  Cher- 
okees  came  west  and  settled  on  the  St.  Erancis  River,  in  Arkansas, 
a  short  distance  above  Memphis;  from  there  they  came  to  the  Arkansas 
River,  near  Dardanelle. 

The  first  treaty  of  which  we  have  record,  acknowledging  on  the  part 
of  our  people  the  rights  of  the  Cherokee  Indians  to  these  lauds,  dates 
as  far  back  as  1783,  under  the  confederation,  and  secured  to  the  Indians 
all  that  extensive  tract  of  land  lying  within  the  limits  of  the  present 
States  of  Georgia,  Alabama,  North  Carolina,  and  Tennessee,  guaranteed 
them  protection,  and  accepted  their  allegiance  to  our  government. 

The  first  treaty  recognizing  the  rights  of  that  portion  of  the  tribe 
which  had  settled  on  the  Arkansas  River  was  made  in  1817,  and  fore- 
shadowed the  policy  of  the  removal  of  the  others  east  of  the  Mississippi. 

The  western  Cherokees,  in  1828,  exchanged  the  country  about  Bar- 
danelle  in  Arkansas  for  the  extensive  country  they  now  occupy  west  of 
that  State. 

The  Eastern  Cherokees  early  experienced  the  oppressive  power  of  their 
white  neighbors.  Before  they  were  sufficiently  civilized  to  cope  with 
them,  they  were  overrun,  the  State  of  Georgia  distributed  their  lands 
by  lot  to  the  white  citizens  in  1835,  and  these  citizens  immediately  en- 
tered into  and  took  possession  of  their  houses,  farms,  &c.  The  house  of 
the  late  John  Ross,  who  was  for  many  years  the  honored  and  most  able 
chief  of  this  nation,  was  thus  appropriated,  and  on  his  return  from  a 
mission  in  behalf  of  his  people,  he  found  himself  a  tolerated  intruder  in 
his  own  house  and  on  his  own  bed.  The  believers  in  retributive  history, 
in  verification  of  their  theory,  point  to  the  fact  that  General  Sherman 
has  since  "  marched  to  the  sea"  over  that  same  tract  of  country,  and  the 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS.  33 

descendants  of  the  same  intruders  have  been  cast  out  with  violence,  if 
not  as  equally  unjust  at  least  quite  as  irresistible. 

In  1835  the  treaty  removing  them  to  the  west  of  the  Mississippi 
passed  the  United  States  Senate  by  one  majority,  and  notwithstanding 
the  remonstrances  of  a  majority  of  the  tribe,  the  Cherokees  were  re- 
moved at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  under  General  Scott,  to  the  home 
of  the  western  branch  west  of  the  Arkansas,  their  present  location. 
They  have  had  a  written  form  of  government,  constitution,  laws,  &c., 
since  1828.  The  tribe  numbers  about  fourteen  thousand  (14,000,)  which 
includes  one  thousand  (1,000)  Dela wares  now  incorporated  among  them 
and  1,500  colored  people  who  are  citizens.  They  suffered  greatly  du- 
ring the  late  war,  the  tribe  being  fiercely  divided,  two  regiments  faith- 
fully standing  by  the  Union,  and  one  going  with  the  rebels.  In  no  part 
of  our  country  was  the  war  waged  with  greater  destruction  of  property  or 
loss  of  life  ;  nearly  one-quarter  of  the  people  died,  either  from  wounds 
received  in  battle,  or,  as  in  the  case  of  the  women  and  children,  large 
numbers  of  whom  perished  from  starvation.  On  every  hand  the  traveler 
sees  the  charred  and  blackened  remains  of  ruined  homesteads ;  and  the 
swollen  graveyards  at  Neosho,  Missouri,  Dry  Wood  Creek  near  Fort 
Scott,  at  the  Sacs  and  Fox  agency,  Kansas,  to  which  place  the  people 
fled  for  safety,  and  at  Fort  Gibson,  Cherokee  country,  tell  the  sad  story. 

From  this  brief  sketch  of  the  history  of  the  Cherokees  let  us  now 
turn  to  the  present  condition  of  these  people,  and  also  to  that  of  their 
neighbors,  the  Creeks,  Chickasaws,  and  Choctaws. 

PRESENT   CONDITION   OF   THE   CHEROKEES,  ETC. 


The  present  condition  of  the  Cherokees,  Choctaws  and  Creeks,  requires 
in  an  eminent  degree  the  care  of  government  to  prevent  not  only  gross 
violations  of  our  national  faith,  but  to  save  them  from  being  over- 
whelmed and  destroyed.  In  their  present  country  they  support  them- 
selves by  agricultural  labors  and  stock-raising.  Many  thousand  cattle 
were  exported  from  these  nations  annually  before  the  war.  A  consider- 
able number  still  are,  and  much  larger  numbers  will  be,  as  soon  as  the 
wounds  of  war  are  healed. 

The  lands  now  reserved  for  them  are  no  more  than  sufficient  for  their 
support.  Any  further  invasion  of  them  would  drive  them  to  starvation 
or  pauperism.  Much  of  the  land  now  held  by  them  is  rocky  and  only 
suitable  for  timber  or  pasturage.  Three-fifths  of  the  area  of  the  present 
Cherokee  country  is  of  this  kind. 

There  are  two  classes  of  interests  threatening  the  happiness  of  these 
wards  of  the  government.  First,  railroad  companies,  who,  entertaining 
the  hope  that  the  government  may  despoil  these  people  of  their  prop- 
erty— or,  what  is  the  same  thing,  take  it  for  a  nominal  price — expect  by 
the  proposal  to  build  a  road  through  their  country,  to  make  vast  profits 
out  of  lands  or  other  property  thus  seized,  on  pretext  of  developing  the 
country.  It  is  well  known  that  there  is,  at  present,  more  speculation  in 
the  West  in  building  roads  than  in  running  them.  By  claiming  to 
develop  the  country,  these  corporations  are  clamorous  for  the  speedy 
destruction  of  these  Indian  governments  that  stand  in  the  way  of  their 
schemes.  The  other  class,  a  very  large  one,  comprises  those  who  wish 
to  occupy  their  lauds.  In  the  West  an  immense  business  has  sprung  up 
by  which  squatters  make  a  living,  not  by  cultivating  the  soil,  but  by 
dealing  in  inchoate  titles.  To  this  class  of  frontiersmen,  an  Indian 
reservation  is  a  God-send.  The  desire  to  keep  good  faith  with  the  Indian 
has  maintained  its  integrity  long  enough  to  give  it  value.  It  is  then 
3 


34  REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

either  seized  by  some  company  at  a  nominal  price — say  from  a  few  cents 
to  a  dollar  an  acre,  and  the  profits  used  to  build  a  railroad — or,  on  the 
plea  of  justice  to  squatters,  those  who  have  intruded  on  it  in  violation 
of  law  and  the  rights  of  the  Indian  are  permitted  to  keep  it,  sometimes  as 
homesteads,  for  nothing,  or  for  $1  25  per  acre,  they  realizing  by  their 
illegal  act  froin  $5  to  $10  per  acre,  selling  out  to  some  industrious  settler 
who  comes  after  them,  and  again  pouncing  on  some  coveted  reservation, 
and  clamoring  to  the  government  for  a  fresh  violation  of  public  faith. 
(See  remonstrance  of  Cherokee  chiefs,  Appendix  F.) 

The  avowedjpoljrvj}f  the  government,  so  far,  has  been  to  keep  cer- 
"tatff  reservations,  and  among  them  the  Indian  territory  south  of  Kansas, 
intact  for  the  use  of  the  Indians,  and  to  use  the  more  civilized  to  elevate 
them  by  degrees  to  be  self-supporting  by  new  habits  of  life.  In  this 
emergency,  it  behooves  the  government  to  look  at  the  matter  candidly. 
If  it  is  contemplated  to  let  railroad  corporations  get  foothold  in  the 
country,  which  would  further  interest  them  in  destroying  Indian  gov- 
ernments that  they  may  find  purchasers,  or  passing  a  territorial  bill 
under  cover  of  which  there  will  be  a  lawful  or  lawless  invasion  of 
Indian  rights,  it  would  be  better  at  once  to  dismiss  the  former  plan  and 
frankly  say  to  the  Indians  that  the  government  of  the  United  States 
<loes  not  intend  to  keep  good  faith,  and  instead  of  congregating  other 
Indians  there,  proceed  at  once  to  build  pauper  houses,  in  which  they 
may  be  imprisoned  and  fed,  as  they  cannot  be  permitted  to  practice  their 
nomadic  life,  and  it  is  inexpedient  to  teach  them  to  be  shepherds  and 
agriculturists.  Whether  it  be  most  humane  so  to  coop  up  and  pauper- 
ize them  until  they  gradually  die  of  such  misfortunes,  or  turn  loose  a  few 
squadrons  of  cavalry  to  massacre  them,  men,  women  and  children,  is  a 
problem  too  nice  in  its  distinctions  to  be  easily  determined.  One  thing- 
is  certain,  the  government  cannot  entertain  both  plans,  and  the  policy 
ought  to  be  determined,  as  neither  whites  nor  Indians  could  be  expected 
to  improve  with  such  uncertainty  hanging  over  them. 

The  problem  of  a  purely  Indian  territorial  government  requires  much 
care.  These  Indians  are  very  different  in  their  degrees  of  civilization. 
From  the  Cherokee  government,  with  its  complete  judicial  system,  and 
thirty-two  schools  in  operation,  (fifteen  more  provided  for  at  the  late 
session,)  and  the  Cheyenne  nomads  who  have  just  been  placed  in  that 
territory,  there  is  a  wide  difference.  That  these  unequal  elements  may 
be  trained  to  form  a  harmonious  common  government  in  time,  and  by 
judicious  fostering,  is  likely,  but  the  statesman  who  proposes  to  abolish 
the  only  governments  that  are  of  any  use,  and  trust  to  the  new  experi- 
ment before  it  has  had  time  to  develop,  only  plays  into  the  hands  of 
the  land  speculators,  individual  and  corporate,  who  hunger  and  thirst 
for  the  destruction  of  the  existing  governments,  and  will  make  haste  to 
pronounce  its  successor  a  failure. 

It  is  understood  that  the  Indians  are  willing  that  a  large  portion  of 
the  proceeds  of  their  lands  be  employed  to  build  roads  through  their 
respective  countries.  Each  State  demands  jealously,  and  has  conceded 
to  it,  the  right  to  build  its  own  roads.  Why  should  these  Indian  gov- 
ernments be  turned  over  to  the  tender  mercies  of  outside  corporations, 
iiot  amenable  to  them,  and  directly  interested  in  their  destruction! 

Nor  can  it  be  forgotten  that  the  integrity  of  the  lands  menaced  by 
these  movements  are  guaranteed  by  the  national  honor.  Washington, 
and  the  fathers  of  the  government,  gave  the  Indians  the  assurance  that 
the  government  of  the  United  States  would  make  their  elevation  its 
care.  When  the  Creeks  and  Cherokees  were  ruthlessly  driven  from 
Georgia,  a  large  portion  of  the  consideration  they  received  for  their  old 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS.  35 

homes  was  the  guarantee  that  their  new  titles  being  from  the  United 
States  could  never  be  invaded.  These  solemn  guarantees  are  to-day 
threatened.  Are  the  only  Indians  who  can  aid  in  raising  the  others,  to 
be  driven  from  their  homes  as  vagabonds,  or  is  the  experiment  of  Indian 
civilization  to  be  developed  until  this  people  are  fully  prepared  for  the 
battle  of  life  .? 

The  war,  in  its  dreadful  ravages  among  them,  has  done  great  good  to 
the  Cherokees.  It  has  killed  the  old  factions  and  broken  down  the  mid- 
dle wall  of  partition  between  the  half-breeds  and  full-bloods.  All  of  them 
now  see  they  must  be  united,  or  the  Cherokee  nation  goes  to  the  wall. 
The  half-breeds  are  looking  more  affectionately  upon  the  full-bloods  as 
the  proper  Held  of  labor  for  their  most  devoted  efforts ;  and  both  factions 
are  now  so  poor  that  there  is  nothing  for  the  one  to  be  envious  of  in  the 
other.  Even  the  old  animosities  of  -'Xorth  and  South"  have  to  be 
abandoned,  and  a  common  adversity  has  made  them  common  friends. 

They  have  a  glorious  heritage  : 

1.  In  a  good  name,  earned  by  an  unselfish,  heroic  life  in  the  past. 

2.  In  the  advantage  which  that  reputation  gives  them  in  placing  them 
at  the  head,  or  nearly  so,  of  all  the  Indian  tribes  of  America;  and, 

3.  In  natural  resources  of  soil,  climate,  and  geographical  position. 
Their  country  is  superior ;  agreeably  diversified  with  hill  and  plain, 

well  wooded  and  watered ;  coal,  iron,  and  fertilizers  of  the  soil  near  at 
hand;  mild  and  temperate  climate;  sheltered  from  the  colder  north 
winds  by  their  hills,  and  refreshed  against  the  hot  air  of  the  south  by 
the  many  springs  and  streams  which  water  the  valleys,  and  located  on 
a,  line  where,  very  soon,  many  railroads  must  meet,  their  situation  is 
most  hopeful. 

GENERAL  APPEARANCE  OF  THE  CHEROKEE  COUNTRY  AND  ITS 

RESOURCES. 

I  was  quite  weather-bound  at  Fort  Gibson  for  a  few  days,  (March  10, 
1869.)  The  streams  were  all  up  and  impassable.  The  rain  cleared  oft' 
with  a  great  wind-storm  from  the  northwest.  They  are  subject  to  these 
tornadoes  in  this  country;  sometimes  they  sweep  everything  before 
them ;  a  man  can  only  retain  his  position  by  assuming  the  horizontal, 
and  in  many  places  I  have  observed  prostrate  trees  of  large  size.  That 
night  the  wind  made  the  solid  log-cabin  in  which  I  slept  quiver  like  a 
tent.  I  saw  but  one  reasonably  tall  frame  building  thereabouts,  and  I 
should  think  it  unsafe.  I  suppose  it  is  the  broad  prairies  surrounding 
them  which  gives  the  wind  unobstructed  sway.  Pecan  nuts  are  quite 
plentiful ;  they  grow  on  trees  large  as,  and  similar  to,  our  hickory. 
The  meat  of  the  nut  is  very  similar  in  flavor,  though  the  shell  is  thinner 
and  more  tender ;  the  thin  inner  shell  contains  a  large  amount  of  tannin, 
and  has  to  be  avoided  in  eating,  on  account  of  its  peculiarly  pungent 
flavor.  The  Cherokees  being  anxious  to  discourage  the  destruction  of 
this  tree,  which  is  popular  for  its  tough,  close-grained  wood,  have  or- 
dered a  fine  of  five  dollars  against  any  one  who  cuts  a  tree  down.  The 
pecan  flourishes  best  further  south,in  Texas. 

Another  tree  which  is  highly  prized  just  now  is  the  Osage  Orange. 
This  is  used  most  extensively  on  the  prairies  for  hedge  or  fence  making. 
It  is  grown  from  the  seed,  which  is  about  the  size  of  a  inuskmelon  seed. 
It  rims  up  rank  and  straggling,  with  many  small  branches,  armed  with 
thorns.  It  is  somewhat  similar  to  the  hawthorn,  which  also  abounds 
here,  though  the  Osage  Orange  is  larger,  tougher,  and  stronger.  It  will 
turn  the  largest  cattle,  and  can  be  made  to  grow  so  close  that  rabbits 


36  REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

cannot  penetrate  through  it.  To  succeed  with  it  in  the  latter  efforts,, 
the  young  saplings  must  be  kept  trimmed  down  monthly.  On  the 
prairies,  where  lumber  and  stone  are  scarce,  and  where  room  is  in  abun- 
dance, it  is  the  most  successful  fencing  that  the  settlers  can  find.  I 
commend  its  use  to  the  careful  consideration  of  the  Indian  superintend- 
ents on  the  plains. 

There  are  several  varieties  of  oak,  but  none  grow  so  large  as  some 
with  us.  Sycamore,  elm,  walnut,  cottonwood,  ash,  and  yellow  pine 
abound. 

The  hawthorn,  with  its  white  flower  and  sweet  perfume,  also  makes 
an  excellent  hedge. 

The  mistletoe,  a  parasite,  is  found  with  its  bunch  of  olive-green  leaves 
clustering  on  the  upper  branches  of  many  trees.  One  sees  that  it  is  an 
intruder  that  is  stealing  away  the  life-blood  of  other  trees. 

This  is  the  country  for  the  grape-vines.  In  passing  through  the  woods 
yesterday  I  found  a  vine  which  measured  around  its  trunk  twenty-four 
and  one-half  inches,  eight  inches  in  diameter,  and  was  upward  of  one 
hundred  feet  in  length,  covering  the  greater  part  of  two  large  oaks 
standing  twenty  feet  apart.  Its  first  sweep  from  the  ground  before  it 
separated  into  two  branches  was  over  thirty  feet  in  length.  It  was 
truly  a  magnificent  fellow,  and  was  sound  as  a  dollar. 

The  flowers  of  this  country  must  be  something  superb,  if  one  can 
judge  by  some  specimens  of  dried  bunches  which  hung  up  in  my  room. 
There  is  one  bunch  of  coxcomb  which  measured  one  foot  in  diameter, 
one  solid  crimson  mass. 

The  people— even  the  poorest  Cherokees — seem  to  highly  prize  their 
flower-beds,  as  I  saw  them  daily  digging  up  the  ground  around  the 
roots  and  plants. 

Of  building  material  there  is  an  abundance.  Good  clay  for  making 
brick  is  found  near  Tahlequah,  and  plentifully  in  other  places.  A  rich 
yellow  sandstone  is  most  in  use.  It  is  about  as  hard  as  our  common 
Jersey  brown  freestone.  Marble  crops  up  in  many  places  between  Fort 
Gibson  and  Tahlequah,  and  is  said  to  be  of  fine  quality.  Limestone 
of  the  purest  quality  abounds.  Flint  rock  is  seen  scattered  about  on 
the  surface  of  the  ground  at  intervals,  and  black  slate,  which  usually  ac- 
companies coal,  I  noticed  by  the  road  side. 

Most  of  the  houses  are  built  of  logs,  usually  rough-hewn  on  the  four 
sides,  not  generally  either  perfectly  square  or  plumb.  They  usually 
build  two  at  a  distance  of  about  ten  feet  apart,  and  unite  them  with  a 
roof  and  rough-boarded  front  and  back,  which  makes  a  wide  hall. 

BUSINESS  IN   CHEROKEE  COUNTY. 

There  are  four  steam  saw-mills  and  three  water-power  saw-mills,  and 
four  mixed  grain  and  saw  mills. 

Three  stores  at  Tahlequah,  six  stores  at  Fort  Gibson,  and  five  or  six 
other  stores  at  various  other  places  in  the  nation.  There  are  two  to- 
bacco manufactories. 

MISSIONARIES  AT  PRESENT   AMONG   THE   CHEROKEES. 

They  are  Eev.  Mr.  John  B.  Jones,  Baptist ;  Reverend  Mr.  Mack, 
Moravian  5  Hamilton  Ballantyue,  colporteur  and  teacher,  from  the  South- 
ern Baptist  Board. 

Eeverend  John  Harrell  and  Mr.  Ewing  are  presiding  elders. 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS.  37 

Reverend  Mr.  Forman,  Mr.  Springfrog,  and  about  a  dozen  other  native 
preachers. 

Isaac  Sanders,  Walter  Duncan,  and  Walker  Carey  are  native  Metho- 
dist preachers. 

There  are  five  post  offices:  at  Fort  Gibson,  Tahlequah,  Weber  Falls, 
Priors  Creek,  and  Cabin  Creek. 

GOVERNMENT  OF  CHEROKEES,  CREEKS,  CHICKASAWS,  AND  CHOCTAWS 

consists  of  an  executive,  legislature,  and  judiciary. 

The  executive  consists  of  a  principal  chief  and  assistant. 

The  legislature  is  divided  into  two  houses,  senate  and  council,  who 
meet  annually  in  November,  and  hold  sessions  of  thirty  days. 

The  judiciary  consists  of  a  supreme  court,  of  three  judges,  elected  for 
three  years,  one  each  year. 

Three  circuit  judges,  who  receive  a  fixed  salary  of  three  hundred  dol- 
lars per  annum.  Mue  district  judges,  one  for  each  county,  at  two  hun- 
dred dollars  per  annum. 

Prosecuting  attorney,  or  solicitor,  and  sheriff  for  each  district,  at  one 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per  annum. 

The  chief  and  assistant  chief,  members  of  both  houses  in  council,  cir- 
cuit and  district  judges,  and  sheriff,  are  elected  by  the  people.  The 
chiefs  are  elected  for  four  years ;  the  members  of  the  senate  and  council 
for  two  years,  and  the  circuit  judges  for  four  years ;  sheriff' and  county 
judges  for  two  years. 

The  superintendent  of  schools  is  elected  by  joint  vote  of  the  council 
for  two  years ;  his  salary  is  five  hundred  dollars  per  annum.  The  school 
teachers  receive  two  hundred  dollars  per  annum. 

The  principal  chief  receives  eight  hundred  dollars  a  year ;  the  assist- 
ant chief,  six  hundred  dollars  per  annum. 

Members  of  the  senate  and  council  receive  four  dollars  per  day. 

Supreme  court  judges  get  five  dollars  per  day. 

Each  court  appoints  its  own  clerk. 

The  treasurer  of  the  nations  receives  five  hundred  dollars  per  an- 
num, and  is  elected  for  four  years,  by  joint  vote  of  the  senate  and  coun- 
cil. 

My  route  was  down  south  from  Baxter  Springs — over  prairie  undu- 
lating into  wooded  hills — to  Fort  Gibson.  Settlers,  mostly  half-breeds, 
wrere  scattered  at  intervals,  and  all  along  the  road  we  passed  droves  of 
cattle  coming  north  to  market  from  Texas.  It  was  in  March,  and  the 
roads  were  heavy  from  the  late  rains.  Many  white  men  had  married 
Cherokee  women,  and  the  road-side  inns,  which  wrere  poorly  kept,  be- 
longed to  them. 

By  the  kind  help  of  Hon.  Win.  P.  Ross  I  was  enabled  to  visit  Tahle- 
quah,  the  capital,  Spring  Place,  Park  Hill,  and  the  country  west  of  the 
Illinois  River,  and  the  hospitalities  of  this  gentleman,  as  well  as  that  of 
Colonel  Floyd-Jones,  Colonel  Rockwell,  and  other  officers  of  the  post,  I 
shall  always  gratefully  remember. 

PAY-DAY  AMONG  THE  SOLDIERS. 

While  delayed  at  Fort  Gibson,  in  Cherokee  country,  we  were  for  sev- 
eral nights  in  succession  awakened  from  our  sleep  by  the  noisy  shouts 
and  oaths  of  drunken  men.  Wondering  who  could  thus  disturb  the 
peace  of  a  quiet  town  like  this,  and  why  the  police  did  not  arrest  them, 


38  REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

I  was  surprised  and  mortified  to  find  that  it  was  a  party  of  drunken 
soldiers  from  the  fort. 

One  Sunday  morning,  a  few  days  later,  we  were  sitting  by  the  window 
in  the  house  of  a  Christian  friend,  soon  after  service,  when  our  attention 
was  called  to  the  sudden  egress  of  a  number  of  peaceable  Cherokees 
and  half-breeds  from  the  door  of  a  small  meeting-house.  Out  they 
came,  tumbling  in  the  highest  degree  of  alarm,  pursued  by  four  drunken 
United  States  soldiers.  The  Cherokees  scattered  in  all  directions,  while 
our  "national  police"  came  up  reeling,  shouting,  and  swearing  like  all 
possessed.  One  of  them  flourished  a  revolver,  another  a  bludgeon,  a 
third  had  his  hat  off,  shirt  sleeves  rolled  up,  arms  bloody ;  and  all  four 
looked  the  picture  of  riot  and  disorder.  I  went  out  and  remonstrated 
with  them ;  they  bullied  and  threatened,  but  one  of  them  having  his 
senses  sufficient  to  remember  that  he  had  seen  me  with  the  colonel  a  few 
days  before,  persuaded  the  others  to  take  my  advice  and  go  home  to  the 
post.  The  explanation  of  this  disorderly  conduct  was  that  the  pay- 
master had  been  around  a  few  days  before.  How  long  would  our  city 
people  content  themselves  with  such  an  excuse  as  this,  if  their  police 
should  conduct  themselves  in  that  way  whenever  they  were  paid  ? 

It  is  but  just  to  say  that  Colonel  Floyd- Jones,  then  commanding  the 
regiment,  was  absent  at  the  time,  and  that  Major  General  Grierson 
promptly  issued  the  following  order  when  I  reported  these  irregularities- 
to  him : 

[General  Orders  No.  5.] 

HEADQUARTERS  DISTRICT  INDIAN  TERRITORY, 

Camp  Wichita,  IHcltita  Mountains,  April  1,  1869. 

The  introduction  of  spirituous  liquors  or  wine  into  the  Indian  cotintry,  or  the  dis- 
posal of  the  same  therein,  by  sale  or  otherwise,  is  prohibited  by  act  of  Congress. 

Officers  and  enlisted  men,  as  well  as  all  civilians,  are  hereby  notified  that  the  law 
•will  hereafter  be  rigidly  enforced  within  the  limits  of  this  command.  i 

Commanding  officers  of  posts,  garrisons  and  detachments  are  hereby  specially  charged 
with  the  detection  and  arrest  of  all  offenders  at  or  in  the  vicinity  of  their  respective 
stations.  They  will  at  once  prefer  charges  against  persons  in  the  military  service,  and 
•will  hold  citizens  in  confinement,  subject  to  orders  from  these  headquarters  or  the 
demand  of  the  proper  civil  authorities. 

Liquor  or  wine,  except  for  medicinal  purposes  in  the  hands  of  the  properly  author- 
ized persons,  will  be  seized  wherever  found,  and  turned  over  to  the  nearest  medical 
officer  of  the  army. 

By  order  of  Colonel  and  Brevet  Major  General  B.  H.  Grierson  : 

R.  H.  PRATT, 

First  Lieutenant  Wth  Cavalry,  Brevet  Capt.  U.  S.  A.,  A.  A.  A.  G. 
Official:  R.  H.  PRATT, 

First  Lieutenant,  Brevet  Capt.,  A.  A.  A.  G. 

Copy  furnished  to  P.  Colyer,  Esq. 

I  next  visited  the  Seminoles.  What  American,  forty  years  old,  does 
not  remember  the  old  cry  about  the  Seminoles  of  Florida,  twenty  years 
ago  or  less?  They  wTere  called  ''rattlesnakes,  vile  reptiles,  only  fit  for 
manure,  arid  to  be  shot  whenever  seen."  We  were  told,  and  our  people 
believed,  that  nothing  could  ever  be  done  with  the  Seminoles ;  and  yet, 
there  I  found  them,  living  quietly  in  their  neat  log-cabins,  working  their 
farms,  and  sending  their  children  to  school  with  as  much,  earnestness  as 
their  white  neighbors.  About  fifteen  years  ago  they  were  removed  from 
Florida,  and  placed  where  we  found  them  in  this  country. 

Rev.  Mr.  Eamsej-,  the  missionary  from  the  Presbyterian  Board,  has 
charge  of  one  of  their  schools.  It  was  in  vacation,  April,  wrhen  I  was 
there,  and  he  was  at  work  on  his  farm.  The  Seminoles  gather  around 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    OX    INDIAN    AFFAIRS.  39 

him  as  lie  ploughs,  and  watch  his  straight  furrows  with  the  intensest  in- 
terest. His  Virginia  rail  fence,  run  by  line,  straight  as  an  arrow,  attracts 
their  intelligent  attention  and  imitation. 

I  visited  the  cabin  of  John  Chapko,  their  chief.  He  is  a  splendid 
specimen  of  his  race,  tall,  well  formed,  with  a  cheerful  and  open  face. 
In  the  late  war  he  was  a  sergeant  in  the  Indian  regiment  on  the  Union 
side.  On  the  walls  of  his  bedroom  he  has  a  portrait  of  Abraham  Lin- 
coln, which  he  regards  with  peculiar  affection.  He  called  my  attention 
to  it  with  a  most  expressive  wave  of  his  hand  from  his  heart  towards 
it  in  reverence  and  manly  esteem.  He  has  an  ingenious  contrivance  for 
raising  up  the  box  from  the  running  gear  of  his  wagon,  so  that  he  can 
substitute  the  frame  of  a  hay-rack  in  its  place.  It  is  all  under  cover, 
sheltered  from  rain.  "  Mr.  Ramsey  told  me  that  he  was  an  earnest  and 
consistent  member  of  his  church,  and  yetrhe  is  one  of  those  who  fifteen 
years  ago  were  "'rattlesnakes,  and  to  be  shot  on  sight  like  other  reptiles." 

THE   SEMINOLE  MISSION. 

FORT  GIKSOX,  CHEROKEE  COUXTRY, 

Indian  Territory,  March  9,  1869. 

DEAR  COLYER  :  The  Seminolc  mission  was  at  lirst  organized  in  1848,  at  Oak  Ridge, 
in  the  Creek  nation,  twenty  miles  southeast  of  Wewoka,  its  present  location,  the  Senii- 
noles  being  located  there  at  that  time.  The  missionaries  comprising  it  were  Rev.  John 
Lilley  and  his  wife,  with  John  Beuo.  a  native.  The  Seminoles,  after  a  long  warfare, 
had  been  forcibly  removed  from  Florida  ;  on  their  arrival  in  the  Indian  territory,  they 
felt  themselves  as  deeply  injured  by  being  driven  from  their  homes,  and  looked  upon 
all  white  men  with  suspicion,  and  as  their  enemii's. 

When  the  mission  was  established  they  were  entirely  heathen,  having  no  schools,  no 
civilization,  and  no  religion.  After  much  toil  and  many  privations,  the  earnest  prayers 
of  the  missionaries  were  answered.  Some  of  the  Seminoles  began  to  inquire  the 
way  of  salvation :  a  church  was  organized,  small  at  first,  but  God's  blessing  continued 
to  be  poured  out,  and  they  went  on  increasing,  until  in  1861  it  numbered  about  seventy 
members.  In  1856,  the  Rev.  J.  R.  Ramsey,  the  present  superintendent,  was  sent  out 
by  the  board,  and  continued  to  labor  until  the  autumn  of  1860,  when  he  went  East  with 
his  family  on  a  visit,  expecting  to  return  in  a  few  weeks,  but  the  war  breaking  out,  he 
was  obliged  to  remain  East  until  its  close.  Mr.  Lilly  and  his  family  remained  at  the 
mission,  endeavoring  to  do  what  good,  circumstances  would  permit,  but  all  the  time 
living  in  the  midst  of  alarms,  until  Colonel  Phillips,  commanding  this  post,  (Fort 
Gibson.)  sent  out  a  detachment  of  troops,  who  rescued  them,  and  brought  them  in. 
Some  of  the  most  terrible  scenes  of  suffering  and  privation  in  the  history  of  the  rebel- 
lion transpired  among  these  different  nations;  the  pages  of  history  will  probably  never 
record  them. 

Mr.  Lilly  and  family  went  North.  He  is  now  residing  in  Southern  Nebraska,  much 
debilitated,  but  preaching  and  colporting. 

The  war  split  the  Semiuole  church,  as  it  did  some  others,  into  two  factions.  The 
then  principal  chief,  John  Juniper,  went  off  to  the  Baptists,  and  took  all  that  part  of 
the  church  that  went  South,  with  him  ;  this  was  much  to  be  regretted  ;  he  was  among 
the  most  promising  fruits  of  the  mission.  During  the  war  he  was  zealous  for  Christ, 
and  at  present  is  the  chief  prop  of  the  Baptist  church  among  the  Seminoles,  and  be- 
lieved to  be  a  true  man  of  God. 

The  remainder  of  our  church  went  North,  and  nearly  all  the  young  men  enlisted  in 
the  federal  army,  doing  good  service.  I  have  heard  officers  speak  in  the  highest  terms 
of  their  conduct. 

There  were  seven  zealous  Christians  among  them  ;  they  banded  together,  held  relig- 
ious meetings,  sang  hymns,  prayed  and  exhorted.  In  consequence  of  their  faithfulness, 
in  1867,  when  Rev.  Mr.  Ramsey  returned,  lie  collected  together  a  church  of  sixty-six 
members;  the  church  has  since  continued  to  increase  until  it  now  numbers  one  hun- 
dred and  ten  members,  orderly  growing  Christians,  many  of  whom  continue  to  render 
the  missionary  much  assistance  in  spreading  the  gospel  among  the  Seminoles;  one  of 
these  members  has  started  a  branch  station.  The  present  principal  chief,  John 
Chapko.  is  a  very  orderly  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church;  also,  several  others  of 
the  head  men  of  the  nation.  The  Seminoles  number  about  two  thousand,  the  Creeks 
about  fifteen  thousand. 

The  Seminoles  were  always  poor  before  the  war  ;  they  had  no  national  school  fund, 
and  consequently  their  means  of  education  was  quite  limited.  At  present  there  are 


40  REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

two  good  national  schools  in  operation  and  a  third  soon  to  commence.  Brother  Ram- 
sey is  teaching  one  of  these  schools,  with  sixty  pupils  in  attendance.  Where  have  we 
greater  encouragement  than  in  these  schools  and  churches  ?  This  field  is  in  the  center 
of  our  proud  republic;  our  flag  floats  over  it;  it  must  be  cultivated.  Oh,  send  the 
gospel  to  the  Indians,  and  gather  them  under  the  sheltering  folds  of  the  banner  of  the 
cross.  Do  not,  I  beseech  you,  give  way  for  a  moment  to  the  sentiment ;  so  rapidly 
spreading  in  certalu  quarters  since  the  commencement  of  the  present  Indian  war,  that 
the  plains  Indians  cannot  be  civilized  and  must  be  exterminated.  It  is  not  true;  the 
age  in  which  Ave  live  forbids  it,  and  the  Lord  God  omnipotent,  who  governs  and  watches 
the  flight  or  fall  of  the  sparrow,  will  not  permit  it. 

W.  MORRIS  GRIMES, 
Chaplain  U.  S.  A.,  Fort  Gibson,  I.  T. 

The  mission  among  the  Creek  Indians  I  had  not  time  to  visit.  It  is 
said  to  be  the  most  successful  of  any  in  the  United  States.  The  Eev.  J. 
M.  Grimes  has  kindly  given  me  an  account  of  it,  which  I  insert  below. 
The  Kev.  Mr.  Eobinson  has  charge  of  it,  assisted  by  Mr.  Worcester,  son 
of  the  distinguished  missionary,  Dr.  Worcester,  who  labored  so  heroically 
for  forty  years  among  the  Cherokees.  A  daughter  of  Dr.  Worcester  also 
had  a  school  for  the  colored  children  at  the  Creek  agency,  which  has 
done  much  good. 

THE   CREEK  MISSION   AT   TALLAHASSEE. 

FORT  GIBSON,  C.  T.,  March  10,  1889. 

DEAR  COLYKR  :  This  mission  was  commenced  in  1842,  twelve  miles  from  this  place, 
by  the  Rev.  Robert  Loughbridge.  On  a  visit  to  the  mission  I  found  it  situated  in  a 
beautiful  section  of  the  country.  The  buildings  are  brick,  and  conveniently  con- 
structed for  the  great  work  of  the  mission.  I  found  Rev.  W.  S.  Robertson  and  his 
devoted  wife  alive  to  the  work  to  which  they  have  consecrated  their  lives.  It  was 
their  communion  Sabbath.  I  preached  and  aided  in  the  administration  of  the  supper 
through  an  interpreter.  That  was  a  Sabbath  long  to  be  remembered.  Far  from  the  din, 
rush,  style,  and  fashion  of  the  East,  to  spend  a  Sabbath  with  such  surroundings  and  such 
manifest  power  of  the  gospel  through  the  labors  of  these  devoted  missionaries,  not  only 
made  one  wish  that  they  could  transport  the  scene  into  some  of  the  wealthy  home, 
churches,  as  an  argument  for  a  contribution  to  the  board  of  missions  ;  but  impressed 
upon  them  longings  to  do  more  for  the  cause  of  their  divine  Master.  The  bitter  per- 
sonal enemies  of  the  mission  and  boarding  school  were  in  power  in  the  Creek  nation 
when  the  rebellion  commenced,  and  in  July  they  sent  an  order  to  vacate  the  buildings 
in  twenty-four  hours,  with  a  party  of  light  horse  to  see  it  executed.  Imagine  the  scene, 
the  scattering  of  the  school  teachers  and  students.  The  ladies,  Miss  Mills,  Miss  Vance, 
Miss  Shepard,  and  Miss  Turner,  left  the  next  morning,  going  down  the  river  to  Memphis, 
where  the  celebrated  Bishop  General  Polk  was  gallant  enough  to  refuse  them  a  pass 
to  their  homes.  After  some  little  suspense  and  annoyance,  they  reached  our  lines  in 
safety.  Brother  Loughbridge,  the  superintendent,  went  with  the  rebels,  and  to  Texas, 
where  he  is  at  this  time.  Brother  Robertson  and  family  went  North . 

As  soon  as  the  war  was  over  and  the  Creeks  began  to  return  to  their  homes,  they 
invited  Reverends  Robertson  and  Ramsey  to  return  and  resume  their  labors  among 
them.  They  arrived  at  Tallahassee  in  December,  1867.  In  the  spring,  Brother 
Ramsey  removed  to  the  Seniinole  mission,  of  which  I  have  already  given  you  an 
account,  (Appendix  A.)  The  school  was  opened  with  thirty  pupils ;  at  the  present  eighty, 
all  that  can  be  accommodated,  are  in  attendance.  The  school  was  never  more  encour- 
aging than  now.  There  is  much  interest  among  the  people,  and  a  great  desire  for  their 
children  to  be  educated,  and  the  children,  seeing  all  their  predecessors  who  did  well 
filling  important  places  of  influence  and  trust,  appreciate  the  importance  of  education. 
There  is  a  large  farm  connected  with  the  school.  The  boys  like  to  work,  as  there  are 
no  gangs  of  slaves  on  the  adjoining  plantations  with  which  to  compare  them  as  before 
the  war.  The  Creek  library  now  consists  of  a  Creek  "Hymn-book,"  "First  Reader,"  "Child's 
Catechism,"  "Come  to  Jesus,"  "I  will  go  to  Jesus,"  Sabbath  tract,  "  Matthew's  Gospel," 
"  Muskakee  Laws."  A  second  reader  is  ready  for  the  press,  but  caunot  be  published  for 
want  of  $200.  John's  epistles  are  translated,  and  will  be  printed  by  the  American 
Bible  Society.  Acts  of  the  Apostles  also  nearly  ready  for  the  press,  but  Brother  Rob- 
ertson fears  that  there  may  be  delay  in  our  board  furnishing  money  to  pay  translators. 
Mr.  Perryman,  a  devout  young  Christian,  a  former  student  of  the  mission,  has  recently, 
aided  by  Mrs.  Robertson,  translated  a  tract,  which  is  published  and  sent  out  on  the 
great  mission.  He  is  now  clerking  in  one  of  our  dry-goods  houses  at  this  place,  but  has 
his  heart  set  on  studying  for  the  ministry.  Who  will  aid  him?  what  Christian  will  think 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS.  41 

of  him  anil  help  him  in  his  creditable  desire!  He  has  a  brother  who  was  sent  to  the 
Choctaws,  and  is  doing  a  good  work.  He  was  educated  at  this  mission,  and  is  now 
president  of  the  senate  of  the  nation,  though  only  26  years  old.  Other  scholars  are 
tilling  important  positions,  such  as  speaker  of  the  house,  judge  of  the  courts,  States 
attorney,  United  States  interpreters,  &c.  Some  twenty  or  thirty  of  them  have  been 
successful  teachers  in  the  schools  of  the  nation.  The  present  chief  is  an  ordained  min- 
ister of  the  M.  E.  Church.  Brother  Robertson  is  minister,  teacher,  translator,  farmer, 
and  doctor. 

Affectionately  yours, 

J.  MORRIS  GRIMES, 
Chaplain  United  States  Army,  Fort  Gibson.  I.  T. 

At  last  (March  29,  1869)  I  arrived  at  the  extreme  southern  end  of  iny 
journey,  Wichita  agency,  Indian  territory,  just  one  month  and  nineteen 
days  from  the  day  I  -left  New  York.  The  route  for  this  last  trip  of 
seventy-two  miles,  from  Fort  Arbuckle  to  Camp  Wichita,  was  the  most 
desolate  and  by  far  the  most  interesting  of  any  I  had  yet  traveled  over. 
The  wild  character  of  the  scenery,  so  barren,  and,  in  a  large  part,  so 
entirely  uninhabited;  the  quantity  of  game,  wild  ducks,  geese,  plover, 
quail,  prairie  chickens,  swans,  antelope,  deer,  &c.,  constantly  in  sight, 
made  it  particularly  exciting. 

The  wolves  were  very  bold,  being  frequently  within  easy  musket  range 
and  surrounding  our  lonely  camp  at  night  with  their  watchful  cries. 
The  deer  and  antelope  at  times  were  equally  near,  and  the  flocks  of 
birds  spoken  of  were  in  sight  every  hour. 

We  had  the  full  moon  and  clear,  beautiful  weather;  one  slight  thunder- 
shower  of  half  an  hour  being  the  only  exception. 

The  grass  was  beginning  (March  29)  to  appear  green  and  refreshing, 
and  the  mules  thrived  on  it  finely. 

General  Hazen  kindly  prepared  a  tent,  with  fireplace,  bed,  &c.,  for  my 
comfort,  and  Major  General  Grierson,  who  commands  the  military  of  this 
department,  (General  Hazeu's  duties  being  really  only  those  of  Indian 
agent,  &c.,)  received  me,  as  did  all  the  other  army  officers,  most  cordially. 

There  were  many  Indians  encamped  about  our  tent  of  the  most  unciv- 
ilized and  warlike  of  all  our  tribes,  the  Cheyennes,  Arapahoes,  Kiowas, 
Comanches,  Apaches,  and  affiliated  bands.  (For  names  of  tribes  and 
numbers  see  Appendix  H.)  The  women  and  men  were,  some  of  them,  half 
naked,  and  nearly  all  were  in  their  native  costume  of  blanket  and  buffalo 
robe,  with  bow  and  arrow,  carbine,  or  revolvers.  They  were  nearly  all 
mounted  on  ponies  and  seemed  awkward  when  dismounted.  They  are 
the  finest  riders  in  the  world,  and  when  seen  moving  about  on  their 
ponies  and  horses,  with  their  bright-colored  blankets,  are  the  most  pic- 
turesque people  imaginable.  The  children  were  especially  interesting, 
bright  and  intelligent-looking.  While  I  was  in  the  general's  tent  at 
dinner  three  of  the  warlike  tribe  of  Cheyennes,  the  first  that  arrived 
since  the  attack  made  upon  them  by  General  Custer  at  Washita,  pre- 
sented themselves  at  General  Hazeu's  tent  door.  He  was  delighted  to 
see  them.  They  were  the  advance  party  of  a  band  of  six  hundred  that 
were  coming  in  a  day  or  two.  They  were  each  over  six  feet  high,  wiry 
and  tough  in  their  build,  and  quite  dignified  and  grave  in  their  manners. 
How  I  wish  a  Horace  Vernet  had  been  there  to  fix  upon  canvas  the 
superb  pictures  of  Indian  life  around  us. 

On  April  5,  1869,  the  Indian  chiefs  Roman  Nose,  Little  Big-Mouth, 
Yellow  Bear,  and  Old  Storm,  with  six  hundred  of  their  people,  the  Ara- 
pahoes, came  in  and  reported  themselves  as  ready  to  go  on  their  new 
reservation  north  of  the  Cimarron  Eiver.  At  the  suggestion  of  General 
Hazen  I  had  a  talk  with  their  principal  chief,  Kornaii  Nose.  1  told  him 
what  the  President  had  said  in  his  message,  "that  he  would  favor  all 


42  EEPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

efforts  to  civilize,  christianize,  and  admit  to  the  rights  of  citizenship  the 
Indians,"  and  asked  him  if  he  thought  his  people  would  care  to  learn  to 
read  and  write,  plow  the  field,  plant  corn,  and  live  in  cabins.  He  replied 
"that  his  people  wished  to  follow  the  face  of  the  white  man  and  learn  his 
ways;  that  they  would  welcome  teachers  on  their  new  reservation  and 
treat  them  as  good  brothers/' 

April  9,  1869, 1  had  an  interview  with  Oh-has-tee  or  Little  Raven,  chief 
of  the  Arapahoes,  in  the  tent  of  Major  General  Grierson,  and  received  a 
distinct  statement  from  him  as  to  the  entire  ignorance  of  himself  and  his 
people,  and  also  of  the  Cheyennes,  about  the  precise  location  of  the  reser- 
vation set  off  for  them  by  United  States  peace  cominisiouers,  in  1867. 
It  was  because  the  Cheyennes,  under  Black  Kettle,  and  the  Arapahoes, 
under  Little  Haven,  were  not  on  the  reservation,  that  they,  with  their 
tribes,  were  held  guilty,  and  this  was  one  of  the  reasons  why  they  were 
attacked  by  General  Ouster  at  the  battle  of  the  Washita,  last  fall.  You 
may  remember  that  Colonel  Wyukoop  stated  that  he  thought  they  were 
on  their  reservation  at  the  time  they  were  attacked.  By  the  following 
statement,  you  will  see  now  how  easily  these  people  are  made  to  sign 
treaties  of  the  character  of  which  they  are  not  familiar,  and  are  after- 
wards so  severely  dealt  with  for  not  understanding : 

Little  Raven,  chief  of  the  Arapahoes,  being  questioned  as  to  his  knowledge  of  the  loca- 
tion of  the  reservation  allotted  to  his  people  and  the  Cheyeunes,  by  the  Medicine 
Lodge  treaty,  in  1867,  declared  in  our  presence,  that  at  the  time  he  signed  the  treaty 
lie  fully  supposed  that  the  land  upon  the  Upper  Arkansas,  between  Bent's  Fort 
and  the  Rocky  Mountains,  was  the  reservation,  being  the  same  as  previously  set  apart 
to  them  in  the  treaty  of  1865  ;  and  he  believes  that  the  Cheyennes  were  also  of  that 
opinion.  Nor  had  he  any  doubt  about  it  until  he  met  General  Sheridan  at  Medicine 
Bluff  headquarters,  15th  February,  1869,  and  until  to-day  he  did  not  know  precisely 
where  the  new  reservation  was  located. 

•  Little  Raven  says  he  supposes  that  this  misunderstanding  arose  from  the  hasty  way 
in  which  the  treaty  was  made  and  read  to  them  and  by  mistaken  interpretation. 

LITTLE   X  RAVEN, 

mark. 

Chief  of  the  Arapalioes. 
B.  H.  GRIERSON. 

Colonel  and  Brevet  Major  General  United  State*  Army. 
H.  P.  JONES, 

United  States  Interpreter. 
HENRY  E.  ALVORD, 
Captain  Tenth  United  States  Cavalry. 

After  the  above  interview  with  Little  Raven,  a  party  of  twenty-six 
southern  Cheyennes  with  their  head  chiefs,  Little  Robe,  Miunimic,  and 
others,  came  up  and  had  a  talk.  They  are  a  fine-looking  body  of  men, 
and  when  on  horseback  beat  anything  in  the  way  of  cavalry  I  have  ever 
seen. 

This  is  their  version  of  General  Custer's  meeting  with  them,  on  his 
way  home  to  Camp  Supply,  after  his  raid  last  spring  : 

Statement  of  the  Cheyenne  chiefs 

At  an  interview  had  with  Little  Robe,  Minuimic  or  Bald  Eagle,  Red  Moon,  Gray 
Eyes,  and  other  chiefs  of  the  Cheyennes,  held  in  the  headquarters  tent  of  Major  General 
Griersou,  they  gave  the  following  account  of  their  interview  with  General  Custer  on 
the  8th  or  9th  of  March,  1869 : 

They  (the  Indians)  were  on  their  way  to  Camp  Supply,  and  this  interview  with  General 
Custer  turned  them  back  and  delayed  their  progress  there. 

The  first  notice  they,  the  Cheyeimes,  had  of  the  approach  of  Major  General  Custer 
and  his  regiment  wras  from  a  Cheyenne  woman  who  had  been  captured  by  General 
Custer  in  the  fight  against  Black  Kettle,  on  the  Washita.  She  had  been  turned  loose, 
or  ran  away,  from  General  Custer  some  days  before.  The  chief  went  out  to  see,  and  met 
General  Custer  coming  in  with  two  men,  no  other  soldiers  at  that  time  being  in  sight.  He 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS.  43 

went  into  Medicine  Arrow's  tent  and  shook  hands.  Soon  afterwards  a  yonng  man  caine 
in  and  told  them  that  there  were  a  great  many  troops  coming  on  the  war-path,  which 
frightened  the  women,  and  they  immediately  began  to  saddle  np  their  ponies ;  hut  the 
chief  went  out  and  quieted  them  down.  General  Caster  then  left  them,  and  thirty  of 
the  chiefs  and  warriors  went  over  to  visit  General  Custer  and  his  camp.  He  surrounded 
them  with  his  soldiers,  and  told  them  he  was  going  to  keep  them.  They  immediately 
drew  their  revolvers,  and  said  if  they  were  to  die,  they  would  die  in  trying  to  escape  ; 
and  they  made  a  rush,  and  all  hut  three  hroke  through  the  guard.  They  were  despe- 
rate and  determined  and  brave  about  it.  so  they  were  allowed  to  go  unguarded.  General 
Custer  told  the  chiefs  to  go  and  bring  in  two  white  women  who  were  in  their  camp,  or 
he  would  hang  the  three  young  men.  They  brought  him  the  two  white  women,  and 
then  expected  that  he  would  release  the  three  young  men ;  but  he  would  not  do  so. 
Sometimes  he  would  talk  good  and  sometimes  bad  to  them ;  they  could  not  understand 
him.  He  staid  near  them  only  a  little  while,  and  started  for  Camp  Supply.  He  told 
them  he  wanted  them  to  follow  him  on  to  Camp  Supply ;  but  he  talked  so  strangely 
to  them  they  would  not  .trust  him.  This  over,  seventy  lodges  started  for  this  post, 
(Camp  Wichita.)  They  left  the  others,  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  lodges,  on  the 
headwaters  of  the  Washita  ;  but  the  interview  with  Custer  was  on  the  North  Fork,  or 
a  small  branch  of  the  Red  River.  They  say  that  there  were  only  thirteen  men,  six- 
teen women,  and  nine  children  killed  at  the  Washita  fight.  (General  Custer  reported 

one  hundred  and killed.)    Eagle  Head,  or  Minuimic,  then  said  he  wanted  to 

speak.  He  first  shook  hands  with  us,  and  then  said,  "  He  wanted  to  speak  good  only."1 
That  three  of  their  men  (the  three  Cheyennes  spoken  of  on  the  second  day  of  my 
arrival,  etc.)  came  down  to  see  us,  and  returning,  reported  that  we  had  treated  them 
kindly,  and  wished  to  see  others,  and  that  they  had  now  come  to  see  us.  He  said  that 
they  were  hungry,  and  wanted  some  food  for  themselves  and  for  their  people.  That 
they  were  willing  to  go  up  to  their  reservation  with  Little  Raven  and  the  Arapahoes, 
if  he  and  they  were  willing.  Little  Raven  being  present,  was  asked,  and  he  said  he 
was  willing,  and  would  be  glad  to  have  them  to  go  with  them,  if  the  Cheyennes  were 
willing. 
So  it  was  agreed  upon  that  they  should  go  up  to  the  reservation  together. 

HENRY  BRADLEY,  Interpreter. 

March  31st  General  Hazen,  Colonel  Boone,  and  myself,  visited  the 
farms  of  the  agency,  set  the  plows  iii  motion,  and  selected  the  loca- 
tion for  the  mission  school.  The  buildings  and  farms  occupy  a  beautiful 
island  plateau  of  nearly  two  hundred  acres  of  rich  bottom  land,  sur- 
rounded by  Cache  Creek  and  one  of  its  branches,  fringed  with  tall  trees. 
On  our  way  home  we  passed  by  the  deserted  camps  of  the  Seventh  cav- 
alry, General  Glister's.  The  scarcity  of  corn  and  forage  during  the 
previous  campaign  was  here  painfully  evident. 

The  dead  carcasses  of  dozens  of  horses  that  had  belonged  to  that 
command  lay  scattered  about,  tainting  the  fresh  spring  air  with  their 
disgusting  stench.  Landseer's  two  pictures  of  peace  and  war  do  not 
more  graphically  illustrate  the  contrast  than  did  this  costly  and  repul- 
sive scene  compare  with  the  simple  and  attractive  prospect  we  had  just 
left. 

The  War  Department  reports  show  that  nearly  all  the  horses  of  the 
command  were  sacrificed,  and  the  regiment,  performing  so  much  of  its 
return  trip  on  foot,  was  known  in  Indian  parlance  as  the  "  walk-a-heaps." 

Brave  officers  and  patiently  enduring  men  as  they  were,  and  are,  a 
change  in  our  Indian  policy  that  will  relieve  them  from  the  necessity  of 
making  any  more  such  sacrifices  will  probably  be  welcomed  by  none 
more  heartily  than  by  them. 

THE  WICHITAS  AND  AFFILIATED  TRIBES. 

April  7. — I  visited  the  agency  of  the  affiliated  bands  of  Indians  at  the 
Wichita  agency.  They  number  about  seven  hundred  souls,  and  are 
the  remnants  of  what  were  once  quite  important  and  intelligent  tribes, 
the  Wichitas.  Kechies,  Caddoes,  Wacoes,  and  others.  Their  agency 
is  located  about  twenty  two  miles  north  of  Camp  Wichita,  on  the 


44  REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION   ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

Washita  river  in  the  midst  of  a  beautiful  and  fertile  plain,  named  the 
Eureka  Valley.  All  the  way  up  we  found  the  prairies  dotted  with  dai- 
sies of  bine,  purple,  pink,  and  white  colors,  with  other  small  flowers, 
some  of  which  were  quite  fragrant.  The  valley  was  covered  with  new 
grass,  long  enough  to  wave  in  the  wind.  Our  mules,  which  had  suf- 
fered for  the  want  of  hay,  enjoyed  themselves  highly  in  the  evening, 
munching  it,  omitting  their  usual  practice  of  taking  a  roll  immediately 
after  unharnessing.  The  first  evening  was  spent  in  sketching  the  ranch 
and  some  of  the  squaws  and  papooses,  and  the  night  was  passed  in 
General  Hazen's  ambulance.  Our  party  consisted  of  the  general ;  Col- 
onel Boone,  Indian  agent ;  Mr.  E.,  a  gentleman  invited ;  Mr.  Jones,  in- 
terpreter, and  Captain  Gray,  a  witness  required  by  law  to  vouch  for  the 
correctness  of  the  issue  of  goods  to  the  Indians. 

We  were  up  in  time  to  see  a  beautiful  sunrise  across  the  prairie,  and 
after  an  hour  or  two  spent  in  sketching  the  locality  we  saw  the  Indians 
arriving  on  horseback. 

They  came  in  groups  of  two  or  three,  and  as  most  of  them  were 
attired  in  gay  colors  with  shining  ornaments,  and  all  are  superb  riders, 
they  made  a  most  picturesque  scene. 

I  kept  my  pencil  busily  at  work  all  the  morning,  interrupted  occasion- 
ally by  the  curiosity  of  the  squaws  and  papooses,  looking  over  my 
-shoulder.  They  manifested  great  interest  in  what  I  was  doing,  and 
with  mingled  expressions  of  wonder  and  delight  called  each  other's 
attention  to  it.  On  another  occasion,  with  the  Apaches,  I  found  myself 
very  unpopular  while  sketching,  the  art  being  considered  by  them  as 
possessing  magic,  and  they  declared  it  to  be  "bad  medicine;"  a  name 
they  give  to  all  offensive  or  injurious  things.  They  sent  for  their  medi- 
cine man,  or  doctor,  whose  skill  consists  chiefly  in  performing  certain 
incantations  and  magic  arts,  whereby  the  evil  spirit  and  disease  is  driven 
away.  When  this  medicine  man,  a  most  ill-favored  Indian,  arrived,  he 
looked  over  my  shoulder,  being  watched  intently  by  the  other  Indians, 
and  declared  that  it  was  "bad  medicine,"  spit  at  it,  and  soon  they  all 
looked  daggers  at  me.  Of  course  I  discontinued  the  work,  and  ever 
since  then  I  have  been  particular  either  to  make  my  sketches  when  they 
were  not  observing  me,  or  first  explain  through  the  interpreter  what  I 
wished  to  do.  When  it  is  thus  explained  to  them,  I  never  have  any 
trouble. 

But  to  return  to  my  story.  When  the  affiliated  tribes  had  all  assem- 
bled, and  the  goods  had  been  parcelled  out  to  them  in  five  separate  lots, 
one  for  each  tribe,  the  chiefs  met  together,  and  sent  for  General  Hazen 
and  me.  The  interpreter,  Mr.  Philip  McCusky,  informed  us  that  the 
chiefs  wished  to  speak  to  us,  and  invited  General  Hazen  to  commence 
the  talk. 

INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  WICHITAS,  WACOES,  ETC. 


General  Hazeu  commenced  to  talk  by  informing  the  assembled  chiefs 
that  he  was  happy  to  meet  them,  that  the  goods  which  would  be  dis- 
tributed among  them  were  not  a  part  of  their  regular  annuity,  but  were 
those  which  had  been  sent  on  for  the  Comanches  and  Kiowas  last  year, 
who  burned  their  store  and  grain  house  and  destroyed  their  corn.  That 
he  had  given  them  these  goods  because  they  were  peaceful  and  indus- 
trious. That  he  had  bought  plow  «  and  garden  seeds  for  them,  and  em- 
ployed farmers  to  instruct  them,  and  would  continue  to  watch  over  their 
interests. 

Colonel  Boone,  the  Indian  agent,  then  spoke  to  them  in  the  same 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS.  45 

friendly  way,  and  assured  them  that  the  government  would  do  all  it 
could  for  them. 

General  Hazeii  then  introduced  me  to  them,  telling  them  that  I  had 
been  sent  out  here  by  a  society  of  good  men  of  much  power  and  in- 
fluence, and  that  the  new  Father  at  Washington  had  told  him  and  all 
other  generals  and  soldiers  to  see  that  I  was  protected  and  allowed  to 
see  .the  Indians.  They  said,  "good,  good,-  to  each  other,  and  waited  to 
liear  from  me. 

I  told  them  "  they  had  many  warm  and  strong  friends  where  1  canie 
from.  That  there  were  good  and  bad  white  men,  as  well  as  good  and 
bad  Indians.  That  now  the  good  white  men  had  united  together  to  take 
care  of  the  good  Indians,  and  that,  relying  on  the  Great  Spirit,  they 
would  help  them.  TJiat  when  the  Indians  were  at  peace,  prosperous, 
and  happy  we  rejoiced  and  were  glad;  but  when  they  were  at  war,  un- 
fortunate, or  in  distress  we  were  unhappy  and  much  troubled.  I  told 
them  that  our  new  Father  at  Washington  was  their  friend,  and  repeated 
the  words  of  General  Grant's  '  inaugural '  to  them.  That  we  wished  to 
establish  schools  among  them,  and  asked  them  if  they  would  send  their 
children  to  them." 

The  Chief  of  the  Wacoes,  Good  Buffalo,  then  replied,  "that  he  was 
glad  to  see  our  faces.  That  this  was  a  happy  day  for  himself  and  for  his 
people.  That  the  Indian  was  like  the  white  man.  The  Great  Spirit  had 
made  them  both,  only  He  had  made  the  white  man  wiser  than  the  Indian. 
That  He  had  put  him  on  a  broader  road,  and  told  him  to  take  care  of  the 
Indian  and  show  him  the  way.  That  so  far  they  had  not  found  the  road. 
That  they  were  worse  off  than  when  they  started,  but  that  to-day  they 
hoped  to  find  the  road.  Long  time  ago  his  father  took  the  white  man 
by  the  hand,  and  now  they  wished  to  do  the  same.  This  land  they  saw 
all  around  them,  for  many  miles,  belonged  to  their  fathers.  That  the 
bones  of  his  people  lie  where  the  post  is  being  built.  That  he  hoped  his 
people  would  never  be  made  to  leave  this  country.  That  they  had  been 
a  long  time  looking  for  a  school-house  and  a  teacher,  and  were  glad  to 
now  hear  that  they  were  to  have  them." 

Wa-tu-pi,  chief  of  the  Caddoes,  then  said  that  he  wished  to  speak. 
That  I  "had  come  a  long  way  to  see  them,  and  he  was  glad.  That  he 
was  much  pleased  to  see  so  many  chiefs  present  to  hear  this  talk.  The 
Caddoes,  when  they  first  knew  the  white  people,  had  been  helped  by  them; 
but  they  were  now  forgotten.  His  people,  like  the  Wichitas,  knew  how 
to  plow  and  plant  corn.  He  hoped  I  would  look  and  see  how  poor  his 
people  were." 

I  told  him  "I  saw  it,  and  it  made  me  very  unhappy." 

The  Caddoes  once  owned  and  occupied  the  country  which  now  forms 
the  State  of  Louisiana.  At  present  they  have  no  laud  assigned  to  them, 
and  are  literally  homeless  wanderers.  What  a  pity  they  have  not  some 
able  advocates  like  our  talented  friend  Mrs.  General  Gaines. 

The  chiefs  noticed  that  I  was  taking  notes  of  their  reply,  and  asked 
the  interpreter  "  what  I  was  doing  that  for."  He  told  them  it  was  to 
show  my  friends  at  home,  and  the  Great  Father  at  AVashington.  They 
said,  "bueuo,  bueno,"  "good,  good."  They  said  they  hoped  I  would  put 
it  all  down. 

After  the  talk  the  squaws  took  the  goods  and  distributed  a  share  to 
each  squaw  and  papoose  present.  The  women  and  children  sat  around 
in  a  circle,  and  the  squaws  with  the  goods  occupied  the  center. 

About  three  o'clock  we  left  the  agency  grounds  and  rode  over  to  the 
Wichita  village,  about  three  miles  northeast,  up  the  Eureka  Valley. 

"What  a  strange  spectacle  met  the  eye — a  level  plain,  dotted  with 


46  REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

i  huge  hay-stacks!'"  exclaimed  friend  E ;  "but  how  symmetrical  and 

beautiful ;  thirty  to  forty  feet  high,  and  as  regularly  built  as  though  they 
were  laid  out  by  rules  of  geometry !" 

As  we  neared  them  we  soon  discovered  that  our  hay-stacks  were  the 
houses  of  the  Wichitas,  built  of  straw,  thatched  layer  upon  layer,  with 
stout  bindings  of  willow  saplings,  tied  together  with  buffalo  hide,  or 
stripped  hickory.  Out  of  the  top  the  smoke  issued,  and  around  an  oval 
opening  or  door  at  the  side  a  crowd  of  naked  men  and  women  hovered 
in  questioning  solicitude  at  our  coming. 

On  one  side  of  the  door  a  porch  is  erected,  running  along  some  twenty 
feet  or  more,  with  coverings  of  small  branches  for  shade,  and  a  raised 
floor  of  hickory  poles,  two  feet  from  the  ground,  for  a  summer  after- 
noon's siesta. 

The  men  are  good-natured,  and  the  women  cheerful,  though  more 
naked  than  any  wre  have  seen.  Their  dwellings  are  commodious,  clean, 
and  comfortable. 

In  the  center  is  the  fire,  small  and  economical  as  the  Indian  always 
makes  it.  Around  the  sides  the  beds  are  fitted  up  on  bunks  raised  three 
feet  from  the  floor,  built  of  split  boards,  tied  together  with  cords  made 
from  buffalo  hide.  The  floor  is  hard-packed  earth,  clean  as  it  well  can 
be.  The  builders  have  wisely  and  unconsciously  made  the  best  of  their 
circumstances.  The  grass,  willow  saplings,  buffalo  hides,  &c.,  are  all 
found  close  at  hand  ;  and  out  of  these,  which  would  have  been  to  us  im- 
practicable materials  for  house-building,  the  Wichitas  have  constructed 
most  convenient  habitations. 

Watermelon  patches,  with  neat  fences,  are  near  at  hand.  The  fields 
show  marks  of  earnest  cultivation,  and  the  people,  though  evidently 
very,  very  poor,  are  yet  glad-hearted  and  hopeful. 

Driving  back  home  at  a  rapid  pace,  our  teams  started  from  the  willow- 
brakes  great  flocks  of  plover.  The  general  let  fly  his  shot,  and  brought 
down  eight  as  fat  and  delicious  birds  for  supper  as  any  one  crack  of  the 
gun  ever  brings. 

As  the  twilight  deepened,  we  left  the  straw-houses,  cool  verandas, 
naked  men  and  women,  gardens,  and  plover,  of  the  poor  Wichitas,  and 
it  was  quite  dark  when  we  returned  to  the  agency  building.  An  Indian 
lament  over  the  death  of  a  warrior  arrested  our  attention,  and  mingling 
with  the  plaintive  cry  of  the  "whip-poor-will"  in  the  ghostly  branches 
of  the  cottonwood  near  by,  lent  a  melancholy  tone  to  the  close  of  the 
day. 

The  Indian  women  were  in  a  smoke-blackened  "tepe,"  (tent,)  across 
the  Washita.  The  flickering  light  of  their  nearly  extinct  fire  revealed 
their  shadowy  forms  kneeling  prostrate  on  the  earth,  cutting  themselves 
with  knives,  and  pulling  their  hair.  They  sobbed  and  cried  with  a  grief 
piteous  to  hear. 

Turning  from  this  painful  picture,  wre  went  into  the  ranch.  It  was 
in  this  ranch  that  General  Hazen  held  his  final  talk  with  Black  Kettle, 
the  chief  of  the  Cheyennes,  when  that  unfortunate  chief  came  to  sue 
for  peace,  and  search  for  his  reservation. 

FRIENDS   SEEKING   FOR  A  WHITE   CAPTIVE  AMONG  THE  KIOWAS. 

A  stout,  vigorous,  intelligent-looking  negro  came  to  headquarters  one 
morning,  to  see  if  he  could  get  an  interview  with  the  Kiowas.  Five 
years  ago  they  had  made  a  raid  upon  the  settlement  in  Texas  where 
this  man  Jackson  and  his  family  lived.  The  Kiowas  carried  off  his 
wife,  and  a  white  woman  and  her  two  daughters. 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS.  47 

The  white  woman  and  one  child,  and  the 'colored  woman,  were  recov- 
ered ;  but  one  white  girl  remained  in  captivity,  and  Jackson  was  now, 
five  years  after  the  raid,  in  search  for  her.  He  remained  around  the 
camp  for  a  week  or  more  without  finding  any  trace  of  her.  I  gave  him 
quarters  in  my  tent,  and  tried  in  every  way  to  prosper  him  on  his  errand ; 
but  up  to  the  day  of  my  leaving  Camp  Wichita,  without  success.  After- 
ward, on  my  journey  across  the  Staked  Plains,  I  met  a  white  girl  among 
the  Kiowas,  who  I  thought  might  have  been  her,  as  I  will  by  and  by 
relate. 

DEPARTURE  FROM   CAMP  WICHITA. 

Having  completed  my  examination  of  the  tribes  of  the  southern 
plains  at  Camp  Wichita,  Indian  Territory,  I  applied  to  Major  General 
B.  H.  Grierson  for  an  escort  and  transportation  to  conduct  me  across 
the  Staked  Plains  to  Fort  Bascoin,  in  Xew  Mexico.  The  general  was 
somewhat  surprised  at  my  request,  as  the  Staked  Plains  had  been  the 
recent  seat  of  the  war  on  the  Indian  tribes,  and  it  was  not  then  known, 
with  any  certainty,  now  many  roving  bands  of  hostile  Indians  were  yet 
out  there  on  the  war-path.  He  said  it  woidd  take  at  least  one  hundred 
men  to  make  a  safe  trip,  and  lie  had  not  that  many  horses  in  sufficient 
good  condition  to  make  such  a  journey.  After  consulting  General 
Hazen.  however,  General  Grierson  said  if  I  was  willing  to  move  slowly 
with  an  infantry  escort,  he  would  "  put  me  through."  I  gladly  consented 
to  this,  and  on  the  morning  of  Monday,  ]2th  of  April,  an  escort  of 
seventeen  men  of  company  C,  Sixth  Infantry,  under  Second  Lieutenant 
E.  T.  Jacobs,  with  rations  for  thirty  days,  we  started  for  Fort  Bascoin, 
Xew  Mexico. 

ACROSS  THE   STAKED  PLAINS. 

The  four-mule  ambulance  and  the  four-mule  forage  team,  with  their 
drivers,  which  had  brought  me  from  Fort  Gibson,  Indian  Territory, 
continued  with  me,  and  a  six-mule  wagon,  to  carry  the  rations  for  the 
men,  was  added  by  General  Grierson.  The  journey  lasted  about 
thirty-one  days,  the  distance,  four  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  being  some- 
what greater  than  we  supposed — thus  averaging  about  fourteen  and  a 
half  miles  per  day. 

The  ambulance  was  shared  about  equally  by  the  officers,  men,  and 
myself,  when  either  of  us  were  tired,  or  under  the  weather.  The  trip 
was  deemed  sufficiently  hazardous  to  keep  all  hands  constantly  on  guard 
against  surprise. 

On  the  sixth  day  out  a  large  party  of  Kiowas,  under  Lone  Wolf,  their 
chief,  came  out  from  their  village  on  the  upper  waters  of  the  Wichita, 
and  escorted  us  a  day's  march  on  the  journey.  There  were  about  sixty 
of  them,  men  and  women,  dressed  in  their  best.  Among  them  was  a 
white  girl  named  Molly,  who  I  at  first  thought  might  be  the  one  Jack- 
son, the  colored  man  from  Texas,  was  after,  but  she  was  too  old.  She 
had  been  taken  when  young  from  her  parents  in  Kentucky,  and  seemed 
to  like  her  present  wild  life.  While  she  was  riding  along,  chatting  with 
the  soldiers,  some  buffalo  came  in  sight,  and  the  Kiowas  made  chase 
for  them.  Instantly  Molly,  all  excitement,  came  riding  up  to  me,  de- 
manding my  "  butcher-knife,"  a  sheath-knife  which  hung  by  my  side. 
As  I  handed  it  to  her,  I  reminded  her  that  she  was  a  white  girl,  who 
ought  not  to  go  into  the  butchering  business.  "  No,^  she  exclaimed, 
shaking  back  her  long  auburn  hair  in  the  wind,  "me  Kiowa!"  and 


48  REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

putting  spur  to  her  pony,  with  the  knife  gleaming  in  the  sunlight,  she 
went  bounding  over  the  prairie  after  her  wild  companions. 

We  soon  overtook  them,  and  there  on  the  plains  lay  the  dead  buffalo, 
with  Molly  standing  on  his  huge  carcass,  carving  it  with  as  much  ap- 
parent delight  as  a  Fifth  avenue  belle  touches  a  quail.  The  ladies 
brought  us  some  of  the  choicest  pieces,  and  the  men  had  a  good  feast. 

Through  the  kind  forethought  of  Colonel  Boone  I  was  fortunately 
provided  with  some  calico,  so  that  I  could  make  them  a  suitable  present 
in  return. 

We  followed  Howe's  trail  along  the  banks  of  the  Big  Canadian,  (the 
route  of  the  Southern  Pacific  railroad,)  and  after  leaving  the  head- 
waters of  the  Washita  Eiver,  we  came  upon  the  tracks  of  Colonel 
Evans's  late  expedition.  Colonel  Evans,  it  will  be  remembered  co-op- 
erated from  Fort  Bascom,  New  Mexico,  on  the  Avest,  with  General  Sher- 
idan in  the  late  military  forays  against  the  plains  Indians.  The  skele- 
tons of  dead  horses,  from  which  the  wolves  had  devoured  the  flesh, 
cast-away  saddles,  bridles,  axes,  camp  coffee-kettles,  &c.,  strewed  the 
way  of  the  Evans  route  with  the  same  ghastly  and  expensive  marks  of 
an  Indian  war  as  we  had  seen  on  Sheridan's  trail. 

Beyond  the  Antelope  hills  we  came  across  the  remains  of  several 
army  wagons  in  so  good  a  condition  that  I  most  heartily  wished  I  had 
the  wheels  on  my  farm  at  home.  We  had  seen  similar  wastefulness 
near  the  abandoned  camps  at  Fort  Cobb.  I  mention  these  things  to 
show  how  willingly  our  people  will  waste  thousands  of  dollars  in  a 
costly  war,  and  begrudge  a  few  cents,  comparatively,  on  school-houses 
and  instructors  in  the  interests  of  peace. 

We  arrived  at  Fort  Bascom  on  the  llth  of  May,  greatly  to  the  sur- 
prise of  the  officers  and  men  of  that  garrison,  who  had  not  before  had 
any  visitors  from  that  part  of  the  world,  Bascom  being  the  extreme 
eastern  outpost  of  New  Mexico. 

AT  FORT  BASCOM,  NEW  MEXICO. 

We  found  the  officers  here  considerably  exercised  about  the  retention 
by  Major  General  Getty,  in  the  guard-house  at  Santa  Fe  or  Fort  Union, 
as  prisoners  of  several  of  the  Comanche  and  Kiowa  chiefs.  After  a  day 
or  two's  rest  at  Bascom,  we  left  for  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico.  On  our  way 
down,  at  nearly  all  the  white  men's  ranches,  we  found  anxiety  about 
the  Indians,  an  attack  by  the  Comanches  being  feared  in  retaliation  for 
the  detention  by  General  Getty  of  the  Indian  chiefs  above  referred  to, 
and  the  white  citizens  drew  up,  and  quite  numerously  signed,  a  petition 
to  the  general  asking  him  to  release  these  prisoners.  On  my  arrival  at 
General  Getty's  headquarters,  he  gave  me  a  copy  of  a  talk  which  he 
had  held  with  those  chiefs  a  brief  time  before.  He  said  that  it  had 
been  thought  that  the  chiefs  tried  to  escape  from  the  guard  soon  after 
the  above  referred  to  interview,  and  so  they  had  been  kept  as  prisoners 
until  General  Sheridan  could  be  heard  from. 

These  prisoners  were  afterward  sent  around  to  Fort  Cobb  by  the 
way  of  Kansas  Pacific  railroad. 

At  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico,  General  Getty  kindly  provided  me  with 
transportation  to  Fort  Defiance  and  the  Navajo  country,  and  after  a 
very  brief  visit,  I  left  for  there  via  the  Pueblo  villages  on  the  liio 
Grande. 

THE  PUEBLOS   OF  NEW  MEXICO. 

There  are  no  better  people  in  New  Mexico  than  the  Pueblo  Indians. 
They  are  better  than  the  majority  of  the  citizens  of  that  Territory,  and 


REPORT   OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN    AFFAIKS.  49 

yet  they  have  110  rights  except  exemption  from  taxation  and  partial  pro- 
tection on  their  reservation. 

General  Getty,  commanding  the  department  of  New  Mexico,  and  the 
majority  of  the  officers  of  that  Territory,  \vill  indorse  what  I  say;  so 
will  General  Sherman. 

They  have  never  had  a  school,  nor  any  instructor  of  any  kind.  Many 
of  them  are  rich,  one  family  being  worth  over  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars.  They  have  large  flocks  of  sheep,  goats,  cattle,  asses,  &c.,  and 
cultivate  extensive  fields  of  corn  and  wheat. 

Grapes,  peaches,  and  other  fruit  they  raise  in  large  quantities,  and 
supply  the  half  Spanish  people  of  New  Mexico. 

They  ought  to  pay  taxes,  and  out  of  the  same  have  schools  and  in- 
structors in  our  language,  and  industrial  arts  provided  for  them,  and 
they  ought  also  to  be  admitted  to  citizenship.  They  are  far  better  qual- 
ified for  this  latter  privilege  than  three-fourths  of  the  freedmen  of  the 
South. 

The  account  given  of  this  tribe — the  Pueblos  of  New  Mexico — by  John 
Ward,  in  the  Commissioner's  report  of  1864,  is  full  and  generally  accu- 
rate. I  visited  several  of  their  towns,  and  was  deeply  impressed  with 
their  cleanliness,  industry,  orderly  conduct,  intelligence,  capacity  for 
civil  government  and  ability.  In  passing  through  one  of  their  towns, 
San  Felipe,  on  the  Eio  Grande,  I  asked  if  they  would  care  to  have  a 
school.  The}'  eagerly  replied  "Yes,"  and  although  I  could  not  prom- 
ise them  when  they  might  have  one,  when  returning  home  I  again  passed 
by  there,  six  weeks  later;  they  had  the  school-house  uearlybuilt  and 
said  it  would  be  ready  for  occupation  in  a  fortnight.  They  said  they 
would  gladly  pay  for  an  instructor  in  the  industrial  arts  and  in  our  lan- 
guage. 

Please  refer  to  Mr.  Ward's  statistics  concerning  them,  on  page  199, 
report  of  18C4. 

THE  NAVAJOES. 

The  Navajoes  now  number  about  eight  thousand  five  hundred  souls. 

They  are  more  like  the  Irish  than  any  people  I  can  compare  them  with. 
Brave,  hardy,  industrious,  restless,  quick-witted,  ready  for  either  mis- 
chief, play,  or  hard  work,  they  are  people  that  can  be  guided  into  becom- 
ing the  most  useful  of  citizens,  or,  if  neglected,  the  most  troublesome  of 
outlaws. 

There  are  too  many  for  one  superintendent  unassisted  to  manage. 
There  should  be  at  least  two  assistant  superintendents  provided  for 
them. 

They  were  equally  given  to  the  vices  of  stealing,  gambling,  and  li- 
centiousness when  not  employed,  and  to  the  virtues  of  the  most  indefat- 
igable perseverence  in  farming,  stock-raising,  trading  with  their  neigh- 
bors, the  Moquis  Pueblos,  and  weaving  garments,  when  at  work.  Mr. 
Roberts,  missionary  of  the  Old  School  Presbyterian  board,  had  a  school 
commenced  among  them  at  Fort  Defiance,  and  reported  them  uncom- 
monly bright  and  promising,  but  the  vagabonds  of  the  tribe  stole  his 
chickens,  milked  his  cow,  threatened  his  kitchen  by  burglariously  break- 
ing in  at  night,  and  kept  Mrs.  Roberts  on  the  rack  of  anxiety  daily. 
Per  contra:  Our  ambulance  broke  down  in  a  quagmire  far  back  on  their 
reservation.  They  came  running  from  their  farms  in  all  directions,  and 
pulled  the  wagon  out  of  the  mud,  ran  for  ropes,  saw,  hammer,  and  what- 
not, and  repairing  our  vehicle,  sent  us  rejoicing  on  our  way. 

Barbenchitti,  Damedetto,  Manuletto,  and  others  of  their  chiefs,  are 
4 


50  EEPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

as  intelligent  and  reliable  men  as  you  wish  to' meet  with.  As  I  have 
said  before  of  the  Cheyennes,  they  need  police  more  than  military 
guardianship  ;  give  them  a  good,  simple,  and  practicable  code  of  laws, 
and  a  police  force  of  equal  or  one-half  the  number  of  soldiers  they  now 
have,  and  you  will  not  have  any  trouble  with  them.  In  other  words, 
treat  them  precisely  as  you  treat  the  rougher  classes  in  our  large  cities, 
promptly  suppressing  all  petty  misdemeanors,  and  they  will  behave  just 
as  Avell  as  the  whites  of  equal  culture  and  ability.  They  have  no  rights 
under  our  present  mode  of  dealing  with  the  Indians. 

While  I  was  there  a  New  Mexican  citizen  shot  down,  in  cold  blood,  a 
Navajo  man  and  wife,  who  were  walking  quietly  by  his  door.  He  gave 
as  a  reason  for  this  murder,  that  some  Navajo  had  stolen  his  cow  the 
day  before. 

He  was  caught  by  the  military,  escaped,  went  to  a  Mexican  sheriff, 
gave  himself  up,  wrote  an  impudent  letter  to  the  commanding  general, 
stated  his  willingness  to  stand  trial  "by  a  jury  of  New  Mexicans,"  and 
snapped  his  fingers  in  the  faces  of  all  of  us.  The  Navajo  chiefs,  assem- 
bled in  council,  asked  us  what  we  were  going  to  do  with  him.  We  told 
them  "try  him  by  a  jury  of  his  countrymen."  They  burst  out  in  sar- 
donical  laughter.  "  Try  him  by  a  Navajo  jury,"  said  they,  with  a  fierce 
gruinness  on  their  faces,  that  Avould  have  made  the  villain  quake  if  he 
had  seen  it.  They  knew  that  the  whole  thing  was  a  farce.  I  don't  think 
there  is  any  use  of  my  going  into  a  long  and  tedious  account  of  the 
tribes  of  Indians  I  met  with  in  New  Mexico,  Arizona  or  the  Indian 
country.  The  records  of  the  Indian  Bureau  are  already  full  of  these  facts, 
where  anyone  can  read  them.  The  usual  story  of  useless  goods  pur- 
chased and  forwarded  at  immense  expense,  by  wagon,  thousands  of 
miles  ;  of  moneys  appropriated  for  building  school-houses,  blacksmith's 
shops,  &c.,  &c.,  yet  never  erected ;  of  promises  of  cattle  and  sheep  to 
be  furnished,  yet  never  forwarded,  &c.,  &c.,  applies  to  the  Navajoes  as 
well  as  to  many  other  tribes.  For  details  of  what  they  raise,  I  can  only 
say  that,  although  it  is  only  one  year  since  they  were  restored  to  this 
their  old  reservation,  they  had  nearly  three  thousand  acres  of  grain 
planted,  many  flocks  of  a  dozen  or  twenty  each  of  goats,  sheep,  &c.,  in 
keeping,  and  were  doing  as  wejl  as  possible  for  human  beings  to  do 
under  a  system  at  once  so  incomplete  and  unjust. 

THE  MOQUIS. 

There  is  a  good  trail,  and  there  could  easily  be  made  a  good  wagon- 
road,  from  Fort  Defiance,  west  through  the  Navajo  country,  to  the 
villages  of  the  Moquis,  one  hundred  miles.  The  country  is  well  wooded, 
and  with  the  aid  of  irrigation,  much  of  it  could  be  made  productive. 
The  scarcity  of  water  is  the  greatest  drawback.  The  Moquis  are  par- 
ticularly interesting,  as  being  the  descendants  of  the  ancient  Aztecs, 
with  whom  the  white  people,  since  the  days  of  Columbus,  have  had  but 
very  little  to  do.  As  they  are  in  nearly  all  respects  as  far  advanced  in 
<eivilization  as  their  brother  Pueblos  of  the  Eio  Grande  Valley,  the 
•boast  so  often  put  forth  by  the  Spaniards  that  these  Pueblos  owe  their 
present  orderly  condition  to  them,  is  completely  disproved.  Their  pot- 
tery, blankets,  dresses,  ornaments,  and  the  construction  of  their  houses, 
are  similar  and  equally  as  good. 

They  received  us  with  great  rejoicing,  one  or  two  thousand  of  them, 
men,  women  and  children,  turning  out  of  their  houses  and  welcoming 
us  with  cheers  as  we  mounted  the  rocky  clift's,  on  the  top  of  which 
itheir  villages  are  constructed.  They  have  large  flocks  of  sheep  and 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 


51 


goats,  which  they  drive  up  to  their  pens  for  safety  on  the  top  of  the 
clift's  by  the  side  of  their  own  habitations,  nightly.  They  cultivate 
many  acres  of  corn,  wheat,  beans,  and  have  peach  orchards  in  the 
valleys  below.  Having  no  other  weapons  than  bows  and  arrows  and 
the  wooden  boomarangs,  they  live  in  constant  fear  of  the  better-armed 
Apaches  and  Navajoes,  their  neighbors.  There  are  seven  villages  of 
them,  and  they  number  about  four  thousand.  They  ought  to  receive 
more  attention  from  our  government,  and  I  am  happy  to  learn  that  the 
honorable  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs  has  sent  an  agent,  Major 
Palmer,  to  see  to  their  wants. 

I  received  a  letter  from  this  gentleman  a  few  days  since,  in  which  he 
asks  for  a  few  needful  articles  for  the  Moquis,  which  I  trust  will  be  for- 
warded to  them.  They  asked  me,  with  the  same  earnestness  as  their 
brother  Pueblos  of  the  Eio  Grande,  for  schools. 

Our  party  returned  by  way  of  the  beautiful  Canon  De  Chelley,  the 
seat  of  the  famous  struggle  of  Kit  Carson  and  the  Navajoes.  It  was 
pleasant  to  see  the  ]STavajoes  at  their  old  homes  again.  They  were  re- 
planting their  peach  orchards  and  wheat  fields,  destroyed  in  the  war, 
and  treated  our  little  party  kindly. 

The  scenery  in  this  great  canon  is  so  surpassingly  fine,  I  submit  to 
the  commission  some  sketches  of  it,  as  well  as  other  portions  of  the 
Indian  country. 

^The  Indians  living  in  Arizona  and  in  southern  California,  bordering 
on  or  near  that  Territory,  are  as  follows : 

Extract  from  report  of  Brevet  Colonel  Jones,  of  Inspector  GencraTs  Department,  United  States 

Army. 


Names  of  tribes. 

Number. 

Pueblo  villagers. 

Remarks. 

Ynmas  

1  500 

Reservation. 

Chemehnevis 

750 

Do. 

New  River  Indians  

750 

Do. 

Cocopas                           ...          . 

1  800 

Do. 

Pah  Utee  

Do. 

Mohaves                  .       .   . 

2  500 

Do. 

Hnalapais 

600 

Wild. 

TTavapais  or  Apache  Mohaves  

2,000 

Do. 

I'iiuos  

4,000 

Reservation. 

Maricopas  

700 

Do. 

Papajtos  

Pnehlos. 

Moquis  

4,000 

Pueblos. 

Casinos  j  .  . 

300 

Wild. 

Touto  Apaches     

600 

Do. 

Pinal  Apaches  

Do. 

Covotcros  Apaches  .. 

3,000 

Do. 

Sierra  Blanco  Apaches  and   Navajoes  of  New 
Mexico  

2,000 

Do. 

Total  

24,500 

Number  who  are  peaceable,  16,000;  number  -wild  and  hostile,  8,500. 

The  white  or  Mexican  population  of  Arizona  is  estimated  at  less  than  7,000,  as  fol- 
lows : 

Arizona  City 1,200 

Settlements  along  the  Gila 506 

Tucson  and  vicinity -. 2,  500 

Tubac  and  settlements  along  the  Santa  Cruz  and  Sonorita 250 

Settlements  along  the  San  Pedro 50 


Total  south  of  the  Gila, 4,500 


4,,500< 


52  REPORT    OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

The  white  population  north  of  the  Gila  is  as  follows : 

Pho3iiix  settlement  on  Salt  River 150 

Wickenbury 300 

Prescott 800 

Settlements  in  Prescott's  district 200 

Hardyville,  Mohave  City,  and  La  Paz 700 


Total  north  of  the  Gila 2, 150 

2, 150 


Total  white  population  • 6, 650 


One-third  of  these  are  engaged  in  farming  ;  one-fourth  in  tradevS,  and  one-sixth  in 
mining. 

It  will  be  seen  by  the  above  that  more  than  one-third  of  the  Indians  in  Arizona  are 
at  war  with  the  whites. 

Whenever  complaints  are  made  by  the  whites  the  Indians  are  pursued,  if  it  is  practi- 
cable. 

When  the  whites  commit  outrages  upon  the  Indians,  there  are  no  complaints  made, 
the  Indians  probably  thinking  it  is  of  no  use. 

The  law  of  Congress  of  February,  1862,  prohibiting  the  introduction  of  spirituous 
liquors  in  Indian  territory,  is  being  constantly  violated  under  license  of  the  territorial 
laws.  The  military  seldom  interfere,  except  when  liquor  is  sold  in  the  vicinity  of  mil- 
itary posts.  An  exception  is  noted  in  the  case  of  Brevet  Brigadier  General  A.  J.  Alex- 
ander, Major  Eighth  Cavalry,  commanding  sub-district  of  the  Verde,  who  has  notified 
citizens  and  traders  in  his  district  that  he  would  enforce  the  law. 

The  Tumas,  Chcmehuevis,  New  River,  and  Cocopas  are  much  alike,  are  peaceable,  and 
live  along  the  banks  of  the  Colorado,  from  Fort  Yuma  to  Fort  Mohave  ;  they  are  fast 
dying  out.  They  prefer  the  neighborhood  of  Fort  Yuma  to  their  proper  reservation  on 
the  Colorado  above  the  La  Paz.  The  issue  of  goods  to  them  is  now  merely  nominal, 
though  formerly  it  was  quite  different.  The  New  River  Indians  fish,  the  Chemehuevis 
hunt,  and  the  Yumas  and  Cocopas  work  for  the  steamboat  company. 

The  Pali-  Utcs  are  a  great  tribe,  which  live  by  hunting  and  fishing.  They  are  spread 
over  the  vast  tract  of  territory  between  the  Sierra  Nevada  and  the  Colorado  River, 
going  as  far  south  as  the  thirty-fifth  parallel,  and  extending  to  the  northward  through 
California  and  Nevada,  into  southern  Oregon  and  Idaho.  They  have  been  at  peace 
with  us  since  1867.  They  have  received  a  few  presents  from  the  superintendent  at 
La  Paz.  Occasional  issues  of  flour  are  made  to  these  Indians  at  Fort  Mohave.  They 
own  many  ponies. 

The  Mohaves — 2,500 — on  a  reservation,  were  formerly  warlike,  but  now  peaceable. 
After  some  severe  drubbings  by  our  troops,  they  are  located  on  the  east  bank  of  the 
Colorado  River,  south  of  Fort  Mohave.  They  cultivate  along  the  Colorado,  raising 
melons,  squashes,  and  beans ;  unti  Irecently  they  have  received  regular  issues  of  provis- 
ions from  Fort  Mohave. 

They  own  some  horses  and  cattle,  and  are  at  peace  with  neighboring  tribes.  They 
are,  like  the  Yumas,  much  decreased  by  contact  with  the  whites,  and  are  fast  disap- 
pearing. 

The  Hualapais — 600 — warlike,  located  along  the  Cerbat,  Aguaiias,  and  eastern  slope 
of  the  Black  Mountains,  from  Bill  Williams's  Fork  on  the  south  to  Diamond  River 
on  the  north.  They  live  by  the  chase ;  are  very  poor,  having  but  little  stock.  Prior 
to  1866  they  were  at  peace  with  the  whites,  but  in  that  year  their  head  chief,  Wamba 
Yuba,  was  killed  by  a  freighter  named  Miller,  on  the  mere  suspicion  that  some  of  his 
young  men  had  assisted  in  the  killing  of  a  white  man  at  the  toll-gate,  near  Aztec 
Pass,  a  point  east  of  the  usual  range  of  the  tribe,  since  which  time  they  have  been  in 
open  and  bitter  hostility  with  our  people.  They  are  a  brave  and  enterprising  race,  and 
their  familiarity  with  the  whites,  and  the  possession  of  a  large  number  of  fire-arms 
have  greatly  increased  their  power  for  mischief.  It  is  believed  that  they  obtain  am- 
munition from  Mormon  settlements  on  the  Upper  Colorado,  either  directly  or  through 
the  Pah-Utes.  Hopes  of  peace  with  this  tribe  are  entertained  at  army  headquarters  in 
Arizona. 

The  Yavapais  or  Apache  Mohaves — 2,000 — warlike,  the  bravest  and  most  inveterate 
foe  to  the  white  man  in  Arizona,  located  in  the  rugged  mountain  country,  between  the 
Aztec  and  Aguarias  Mountains ;  they  have  been  on  the  reservation  at  La  Paz ;  on  one 
occasion  they  killed  their  agent  Mr.  Leihy,  and  his  clerk,  and  an  Indian  in  their  em- 
ploy, who  were  on  their  way  to  Prescott. 

General  Devin,  in  a  recent  report  not  yet  published,  says  of  these  Yavapais,  "  that 
during  the  spring  -of  1868,  between  one  and  two  hundred  were  again  induced  to  go 
npon  the  reservation,  but  soon  left,  declaring  they  were  made  to  work,  but  could  get 
nothing  to  eat.  No  Immediate  result  followed  their  leaving,  beyond  a  few  unimportant 


REPORT   OF   THE    COMMISSION   ON   INDIAN    AFFAIRS.  53 

depredations,  until  Angtist  of  the  same  year,  when  a  freighter  named  Chenoworth,  am- 
bitions of  the  fame  of  his  predecessor.  Miller,  the  killer  of  Wamba  Yubti,  attacked  with 
a  number  of  his  teamsters,  in  the  same  treacherous  manner,  a  band  of  Apache  Mohaves," 
who  had  been  induced  to  come  to  the  town  of  La  Paz  by  a  number  of  citizens  thereof, 
under  pretence  of  making  a  treaty.  A  dozen  or  more  of  the  Indians  were  killed,  among 
them  several  chiefs,  none  of  the  attacking  party,  of  course,  being  hurt. 

Brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel  Price,  commanding  sub-district  of  Upper  Colorado,  at 
once  took  summary  measures  to  arrest  those  concerned  in  the  outrage,  some  of  whom 
were  apprehended.  The  territorial  government  also  took  action  upon  the  subject,  but 
owing  to  the  (as  charged)  disgraceful  connivance  and  sympathy  with  the  Indian 
killers  of  the  United  States  district  judge,  the  accused  were  set  free ;  and  Messrs. 
Chenoworth  and  Miller,  the  originators  of  two  Indian  wars,  that  have  cost  the  lives  of 
probably  more  than  one  hundred  better  men,  still  pursue  their  calling  unmolested,  and 
boasting  of  their  readiness  to  do  again  what  they  have  done  before. 

"  Since  the  date  of  Chenoworth's  outrage,  the  Indians  have  been  bold  and  daring  be- 
yoiid  all  former  precedent;  a  number  of  citizens  and  several  soldiers  have  been  killed  ; 
the  mails  repeatedly  attacked,  and  the  operations  of  the  Vulture  mine,  (the  only  inde- 
pendent lucrative  enterprise  in  the  Territory,)  nearly  brought  to  a  stand-still  by  reason 
of  persistent  attacks  upon  its  trains." 

The  troops  do  the  best  they  can,  but  the  Mohave  Apaches  are  too  much  for  them ; 
twice  they  have  been  defeated  by  the  Mohave  Apaches. 

Another  band  of  these  Indians  range  down  as  far  south  as  the  capital  of  the  Terri- 
tory, Tucson,  and  north  to  Prescott,  east  to  Camp  Grant,  and  west  to  McDowell. 

The  Pimos — 4,000 — are  peaceable  Indians,  located  on  a  reservation  on  the  south  bank 
of  the  Gila  River  ;  they  cultivate  extensively,  raising  large  crops  of  wheat  and  com, 
much  of  which  is  purchased  by  traders  and  sold  to  government ;  eight  hundred  of  them 
are  capable  of  bearing  arms.  They  own  large  quantities  of  stock  and  are  self-support- 
ing. They  are  brave  and  enterprising,  and  frequently  accompany  our  troops  as  scouts 
and  guides.  They  are  always  at  war  with  the  Apaches,  yet  otherwise  remain  closely 
upon  their  reservation. 

The  Maricopas,  seven  hundred,  are  a  much  smaller  tribe,  and  resemble  the  Pimas  in 
every  particular.  Their  reservation  is  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Gila  River  to  Pimas. 
They  are  among  the  best  and  most  useful  of  all  the  Indian  tribes  in  America.  Four  or 
live  hundred  settlers  above  them,  on  the  Gila  River,  have  built  acequias  and  diverted 
the  water  from  the  Pima  reservation,  instead  of  returning  it  to  the  river  as  they 
should. 

The  Pimas  and  Maricopas  assert  very  justly  that  in  a  dry  season  their  crops  will  be 
ruined  in  consequence  of  this  action  of  the  settlers,  and  so  an  unfriendly  feeling  has 
sprung  up.  The  Pimas,  having  remonstrated  in  vain,  are  beginning  to  assert  them- 
selves by  riding  over  the  crops  of  the  settlers,  and  in  some  cases  by  stealing  their  stock, 
&c.  In  due  time  this  will  lead  to  open  war,  if  it  is  not  checked.  Complaints  are  made 
that  the  agent  of  these  Indians,  Mr.  Ruggles,  should  be  removed  for  neglecting  his 
duty ;  he  lives  thirty  miles  away,  takes  no  interest  in  their  welfare,  and  sees  but  little 
of  them  ;  he  violates  the  law  of  Congress,  which  requires  that  he  should  distribute  his 
goods  ill  the  presence  of  an  officer  of  the  United  States  Army. 

The  Papagos,  peaceable  ;  a  numerous  tribe  of  industrious  and  christianized  Indians, 
who  have  of  late  years  been  wholly  ignored  by  the  Indian  department ;  their  number 
is  not  known ;  they  support  themselves  by  farming  and  in  the  manufacture  of  mats 
and  pottery,  in  which  arts  they  excel. 

They  occupied  the  southern  edge  of  Arizona,  along  the  line  of  Sonora,  but  of  late 
years  the  whites  and  Mexicans  have  been  taking  up  their  best  lands,  and  the  Papagos 
are  gradually  being  driven,  over  into  Mexico  or  Sonora ;  they  have  no  reservation 
assigned  to  them. 

The  Moquis,  four  thousand,  peaceable,  I  visited  in  June  last;  they  are  an  intelligent 
and  very  industrious  class  of  Pueblos,  living  on  the  top  of  high  rocks  in  the  midst  of 
the  arid  plain  east  of  the  Little  Colorado  and  west  of  the  Navajo  reservation  at  Fort 
Defiance;  they  have  never  been  under  the  care  of  the  Indian  Department ;  they  live 
by  farming,  raise  large  herds  of  goats  and  sheep,  cultivate  fruit,  peaches,  &c.,  and 
manufacture  cloth,  blankets,  pottery,  &c.  They  are  overawed  by  the  Navajoes,  who, 
having  access  to  the  supplies  from  the  United  States,  are  enabled  to  trade  axes,  hoes, 
blankets,  and  sometimes  ammunition  with  them  at  very  high  rates. 

They  received  us  with  great  hospitality,  feeding  our  animals  with  an  abundance  of 
corn,  of  which  they  have  a  small  supply,  and  giving  us  dried  peaches,  cooked  beans, 
and  corn  bread  for  ourselves  to  eat. 

They  ask  that  schools  may  be  located  and  the  mechanical  and  industrial  arts  taught 
among  them,  and  wish  for  a  supply  of  tools,  and  with  an  agent  from  the  United  States 
government  to  take  care  of  them.  I  trust  that  an  agent  may  be  sent  to  them,  and 
schools,  farming  implements,  guns  and  ammunition,  be  furnished  them. 

The  Casinos,  three  hundred,  peaceable ;  but  little  is  known  of  them.  They  live  near 
St.  Francisco  Mountain,  east  of  the  Moquis ;  they  are  harmless  and  few  in  numbers. 
Thought  to  be  very  poor. 


54  REPORT    OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

The  Tonto  Apaches,  six  hundred,  warlike ;  inhabit  the  Tonto  basin  from  the  Mogollou 
Mountains  on  the  north  to  Salt  River  on  the  south,  and  between  the  Sierra  Ancha  on 
the  east  to  the  Mazatsal  Mountains  on  north;  cowardly  and  murderous;  they  killed 
more  pioneers  in  northern  Arizona  than  any  other  tribe ;  they  hang  around  the  high- 
way and  small  ranches,  and  lie  in  wait  for  small  parties  of  lonely  ranchmen  working 
in  the  fields.  They  are  well  armed,  which  it  is  supposed  they  obtain  from  the  Zunians 
and  Coyoteros  Apaches.  Prior  to  1865  they  were  peaceable.  At  that  time  some  of  the 
white  settlers  around  Prescott  killed  some  of  them,  as  they  alleged,  for  stealing  sonic 
of  their  stock.  They  have  been  constantly  on  the  war  path  since,  until. the  fall  of 
1867  and  '6S,  when  Dutchleu's  band  came  into  Camp  Reno,  and  were  living  there  up  to 
May  last.  They  appeared  very  contented  with  their  new  relations  with  the  troops, 
and  were  already  making  themselves  useful  as  couriers,  guides,  &c. ;  and  were  also 
gathering  hay  for  the  contractors,  who  found  their  employment  most  profitable, 
as  they  only  paid  them  in  trade,  at  rate  of  one-half  cent  per  pound  for  hay,  while 
the  government  paid  him  nearly  three  cents.  Another  band  came  in  lately,  and  in 
less  than  a  year  it  is  believed  that  all  of  the  Tontos  will  be  at  peace.  Their  former 
depredations  were  mostly  in  the  Prescott  district.  They  are  at  peace  with  all  neigh- 
boring tribes. 

The  Finals  Apaches,  warlike.  There  are  none  bolder,  braver,  or  more  enterprising 
than  the  Pinals.  They  occupy  the  rugged  country  surrounded  by  the  Sierra  Ancha, 
Mogollon,  Final,  and  Apache  Mountains.  Their  country  abounds  in  game,  deer,  rabbits, 
quail,  turkeys.  Their  land  is  fertile  in  the  valleys,  and  water  is  plenty  from  the 
mountain  streams.  The  squaws  cultivate  the  soil,  and  the  men  huut,  fish,  and  fight. 
They  range  over  an  extensive  country,  from  Camp  Grant,  Camp  Goodwin,  down 
through  the  Chericahui  and  Gaudeloup,  Dragoon  and  Huachacca  Mountains,  roaming 
down  into  New  and  Old  Mexico,  Sonora,  and  back  again  with  droves  of  captured  stock 
to  their  homes  in  the  Final  Mountains.  They  move  in  such  large  numbers  and  so 
rapidly  that  the  troops  are  ineffectual  against  them.  Two  years  ago,  this  tribe  drew 
rations  at  Camp  Grant.  Their  families  remain  at  home  in  the  inaccessible  canons 
while  the  warriors  are  absent  on  their  raids. 

The  Coyoteros,  or  Sierra  Blancos,  three  thousand,  warlike.  This  tribe  has  a  famous 
chief  named  Cochis,  of  the  Chericahui  Apaches,  from  the  monntainsin  which  they  once 
lived ;  well  known  to  the  whites  up  to  1860,  when  he  was  friendly.  He  is  reckoned 
the  ablest  and  most  vindictive  Indian  in  southern  Arizona.  His  animosity  is  attrib- 
uted to  an  ill-advised  attempt  to  take  him  and  his  family  prisoners,  with  a  view  of 
holding  them  as  hostages  for  the  return  of  property  stolen  by  some  other  Indians. 
They  are  a  warlike  tribe,  though  considered  less  so  than  the  Finals.  They  also  range 
far  into  New  and  Old  Mexico  and  Sonora. 

Miguel,  a  renegade  Mexican,  is  considered  an  able  man,  and  is  reputed  chief  of  the 
Coyoteros;  while  a  full-blooded  Indian,  named  Miguel,  is  chief  of  the  Sierra  Blancos. 
They  get  ammunition  from  the  Zunians.  A  reservation  was  set  apart  for  them  at 
Camp  Goodwin  in  1866.  Fifteen  hundred  of  them  drew  rations  there  at  one  period. 
But  on  their  refusing  to  deliver  up  some  prisoners  who  were  reported  to  have  attacked 
a  train,  they  were  alarmed  and  ran  away  to  the  mountains,  and  have  been  at  war  ever 
since. 

I  have  given  in  brief  the  state  of  the  tribes  iu  Arizona.  It  is  only  cursory,  but  all 
my  time  allows. 

THE  APACHES. 

A  deputation  of  the  chiefs  of  the  Apaches  (Coyoteros)  came  to  visit 
the  chief  of  the  Navajoes  while  I  was  there;  they  proposed  to  the 
Navajoes  to  come  in  and  settle  on  or  near  their  reservation,  and  arranged 
for  a  grand  council  of  the  chiefs  of  both  tribes  at  a  place  called  Ojo  Cali- 
eute,  a  month  later.  I  wanted  very  much  to  attend  this  meeting, 
believing  that  it  was  the  first  step  toward  a  peace  with  these  trouble- 
some Apaches,  but  the  military  authorities  thought  it  was  useless,  or 
impracticable.  (See  Appendix  I.)  I  finally  made  a  formal  application 
to  Major  General  Getty,  commanding  department  of  New  Mexico,  and 
asked  for  the  escort  my  orders  from  General  Grant  entitled  me  to,  but 
the  general  replied  that  it  would  take  a  much  larger  escort  than  he 
could  then  afford  to  spare.  Besides,  he  said  he  thought  that  the  chiefs 
would  come  to  see  him.  (See  Appendix  J.) 

It  was  with  great  regret  that  I  left  JS"ew  Mexico  without  attending 
that  council  with  the  Apache  chiefs,  though  I  have  no  doubt  but  that 
General  Getty  did  the  best  he  could,  and  from  the  kindest  motives.  I 


REPORT   OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN   AFFAIRS.  55 

am  greatly  indebted  to  him  for  many  generous  attentions,  as  I  am  also 
to  Colonel  Ludington,  chief  quartermaster  of  the  department.  Colonel 
Evans,  and  the  officers  at  Fort  Bascom  and  Fort  Win  gate. 

I  was  very  much  interested  on  my  return  to  San  Francisco  from 
Alaska  this  fall  to  read  of  the  capture  of  two  gold  miners,  Messrs.  Cooley 
and  Dodd,  among  the  Apaches  of  Southern  Arizona,  this  summer. 
These  two  gentlemen  had  arranged  to  accompany  me  on  this  tour  to 
Ojo  Calieute  if  the  commanding  general  had  approved.  They  went 
alone,  however,  and,  as  it  illustrates  the  bravery  of  our  western  gold 
miners,  I  add  it  to  the  appendix,  marked  J. 

Since  I  left  New  Mexico  the  Apaches  have  been  gathered  together  at 
a  place  called  Alamosa,  near  Fort  McRae,  waiting,  like  a  flock  of  sheep, 
to  be  placed  on  a  reservation.  Through  the  faithful  efforts  of  their 
agent,  Lieutenant  Charles  E.  Drew,  they  have  been  waiting  patiently 
for  now  over  four  months,  with  no  other  aid  from  the  government  than 
a  small  allowance  of  subsistence.  They  should  be  attended  to  without 
delay,  and  many  lives  and  much  treasure  can  be  thus  saved.  (See  Ap- 
pendices L,  M,  X,  O,  and  P.) 

On  my  way  home  I  passed  through  the  reservation  of  the  Utes,  at 
Maxwell's.  They  had  been  out  on  a  hunt  for  buffalo  on  the  prairies,  and 
had  got  in  a  fight  with  the  Couianches,  and  been  worsted.  Such  fights 
should  be  prevented,  and  the  guilty  parties  who  commence  it  should  be 
punished. 

The  Utes  don't  like  the  idea  of  removing  to  their  new  reservation  in 
Western  Colorado,  and  complain  that  they  did  not  agree  to  the  change ; 
yet  Governor  McCook  thinks  that  he  can  induce  them  to  consent  to  their 
removal. 

VIXCENT  COLTER, 
United  States  Special  Indian  Commissioner. 

Hon.  FELIX  R.  BRUNOT, 

Chairman  of  Board  of  Indian  Commissioners. 


APPENDIX  A. 

To  Hie  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  in  Congress  assembled: 

Your  memoraliste,  on  behalf  of  the  general  committee  of  the  United  States  Indian 
Commission,  beg  leave  to  call  the  attention  of  your  honorable  bodies  to  the  condition 
and  treatment  of  our  Indian  tribes. 

We  are  the  more  encouraged  to  make  this  appeal  by  the  humane  spirit  which  has 
been  so  distinctly  manifested  in  your  recent  legislation.  The  appointment,  amid  the 
excitement  of  impending  hostilities,  of  the  Peace  Commission,  and  the  gratifying  results 
of  that  commission  in  averting  an  apparently  inevitable  and  general  Indian  war,  one 
year  since,  afford  assurance  of  a  deep  desire  to  do  justice,  and  a  willingness  to  make 
sacrifices  for  that  end.  which  it  gives  us  the  most  sincere  pleasure  to  acknowledge. 

It  has  long  been  the  conviction  of  the  humane  amongst  us,  that  our  aboriginal  in- 
habitants have  been  the  victims  of  great  wrongs,  cruelties  and  outrage;  but  it  is  only 
recently  that  the  particular  nature,  the  atrocious  character,  and  the  frightful  results 
of  these  criufes  have  been  brought  distinctly  before  us.  The  recent  reports  of  the  In- 
dian Peace  Commissioners,  and  of  the  joint  special  committee  of  the  two  houses  of 
Congress,  have  in  some  degree  disclosed  the  nature  and  sources  of  them  ;  and  the  dis- 
closure is  at  once  so  painful  and  humiliating  as  to  call  for  the  most  prompt  and  vigor- 
ous measures  of  redress  and  remedy,  for  the  reason  that  it  concerns  alike  the  honor  and 
the  interests  of  the  nation. 

We  stand  charged  before  the  civilized  world,  by  the  testimony  of  our  own  witnesses, 
with  having  been  "  uniformly  unjust  to  the  Indians ;"  and  it  is  stated  by  General 
Sherman  and  his  associate  commissioners,  that  this  injustice  has  been  the  cause  of  all 
the  wars  which  they  have  waged  against  us. 

Among  the  chief  causes  of  these  wars,  which  have  entailed  the  loss  of  many  lives, 


56 


REPORT    OF    TPIE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 


ami  been  the  pretext  upon  which  the  people  of  the  United  States  have  been  robbed 
of  millions  of  hard-earned  treasure,  we  enumerate  the  following  : 

1.  The  dissatisfaction  of  the  Indians  in  consequence  of  having  sometimes  been  be- 
trayed into  the  cession  of  their  lauds  by  pretended  treaties. 

2.  The  constant  failure  of  the  government  to  fulfill  in  good  faith  its  treaty  obligation  it 
Avith  the  tribes. 

3.  The  frequent  and  unprovoked  outrages  and  murders  of  Indians  by  soldiers  and 
white  citizens. 

4.  The  impossibility  of  obtaining  justice  in  local  courts,  or  of  punishing  white  crimi- 
nals, for  the  reason  that  the;  testimony  of  Indians  is  not  allowed  in  those  courts. 

5.  The  unlawful  occupation,  by  the  whites,  of  lands  not  ceded  nor  treated  for. 

6.  The  shameful  fact,  that  of  all  the  appropriations  made  by  Congress  for  their  benefit 
but  a  small  part  ever  reaches  them. 

It.  is  also  affirmed,  by  the  same  authorities,  that  the  Indian  race  is  becoming  not  only 
morally  degraded,  but  also  physically  undermined,  by  the  most  loathsome  disease  which 
infests  our  civilization ;  that  one  of  the  finest  physical  types  of  man  has  already  become 
seriously  enfeebled ;  and  that  tribes,  originally  comparatively  pure,  are  fast  sinking 
into  a  grossness  of  vice  which  threatens  their  utter  extinction. 

This  latter  evil,  in  all  its  destructive  extent,  seems  to  be  an  inevitable  attendant  of 
the  presence  of  our  troops  in  the  Indian  country.  All  these,  and  many  other  disgrace- 
ful facts,  are  attested  by  respectable  officers  of  the  government,  by  a  large  number  of 
Indian  chiefs,  and  by  many  trustworthy  private  citizens. 

The  unprovoked  butchery  of  several  hundred  peaceable  Indians,  chiefly  women  and 
children,  by  Colonel  Chivington,  as  detailed  in  the  official  evidence  above  referred  to, 
is  enough  to  brand  with  lasting  infamy  any  nation  that  could  suffer  it  to  pass  unpun- 
ished. Our  community  was  shocked  by  the  action  of  the  British  authorities  in  India, 
in  blowing  from  their  guns  the  prisoners  of  war  whom  they  had  captured,  but  their  deeds 
of  blood  pale  before  the  infamous  murders  by  Chiviugton,  perpetrated  under  the  au- 
thority and  in  the  name  of  the  United  States! 

It  is  not  our  purpose  to  dwell  unnecessarily  upon  these  sickening  recitals,  nor  to  ex- 
press any  doubt  of  the  desire  of  Congress  to  deal  justly  with  the  feeble  remnants  of 
the  po\verful  tribes  that  once  owned  and  occupied  the  fair  land  which  we  now  enjoy. 
But  we  respectfully  submit  that  it  is  our  national  duty  to  make  such  provision  as  shall 
insure  the  faithful  performance  of  our  national  obligations. 

No  nation  can  safely  disregard  the  just  claims  of  even  the  humblest  class  of  its  citi- 
zens. The  promise  made  by  General  Sherman  to  the  Indians,  that  their  rights  should 
be  respected,  and  that  they  should  be  justly  compensated  for  the  necessary  infringement 
of  those  rights,  found  an  echo  in  the  hearts  of  all  honorable  men.  No  nation  is  more 
sensitive  to  the  claims  and  obligations  of  justice  than  our  own ;  and  we  are  sure  that 
when  the  true  history  of  the  Indians'  wrongs  is  laid  before  our  countrymen,  their  united 
voice  will  demand  that  the  honor  and  the  interests  of  the  nation  shall  no  longer  be 
sacrificed  to  the  insatiable  lust  and  avarice  of  unscrupulous  men. 

The  good  intentions  of  Congress  toward  the  Indians  have,  in  great  measure  been 
frustrated  by  the  want  of  honest  and  faithful  agents,  with  sufficient  power  to  control 
the  rapacity  of  frontier  practice.  It  is  the  object  of  the  association  which  we  repre- 
sent to  array  on  the  side  of  justice  and  humanity  the  influence  and  support  of  an  en- 
lightened public  opinion,  in  order  to  secure  for  the  Indians  that  treatment  which,  if  in 
their  position,  we  should  demand  for  ourselves.  To  this  end  we  believe  it  may  be 
necessary  to  enlist  the  services  of  capable  and  reliable  men,  independent  of  political  or 
party  bias,  who  shall  not  be  remunerated  from  the  public  treasury,  and  who  shall  have 
no  pecuniary  interest  to  swerve  them  from  the  objects  of  their  appointment. 

Deeply  impressed  with  the  vast  importance  of  our  Indian  affairs,  as  involving  both 
our  national  interests  and  our  national  honor,  we  desire  respectfully  to  commend  them 
to  the  wisdom,  the  patrotism,  and  the  justice  of  Congress. 

Signed  by  direction  and  on  behalf  of  the  general  committee  aforesaid. 


Howard  Crosby,  D.  D., 

President, 

Peter  Cooper,  Vice-President, 
Benjamin  Tatham,  Treasurer, 
William  T.  Blodgett, 
LeGrand  B.  Cannon, 
Edward  Cromwell, 
Vincent  Colyer,  Secretary, 

Executive  Committee. 
Peter  Cooper, 

COOPER  INSTITUTE, 


David  Dows, 
Wm.  T.  Blodgett, 
Henry  Bergh, 
LeGraud  B.  Cannon, 
Jonathan  Sturges, 
Jackson  S.  Schultz, 
James  A.  Roosevelt, 
Edward  Cromwell, 
George  C.  Collins, 
Benjamin  Tatham, 


Vincent  Colyer, 
Rev.  H.  W.  Beecher, 
Rev.  S.  S.  Tyug,jr., 
Rev.  H.  Crosby,  D.  D., 
Rev.  Ja.s.  M.  Bulkfev, 
Rev.  E.  H.  Chapin,  D.  D., 
Rev.  E.  A.  Washburn,  D.  D., 
Rev.  Thos.  Armitage,  D.  D., 
Prof.  Benjamin  N.  Martin, 

General  Committee. 


New  York,  July  14,  1868. 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS.  57 

APPENDIX  B. 

[Received  late  in  January,  1869.] 

HEADQUARTERS  SOUTHKRN  INDIAN  DISTRICT, 

Fort  Cobb,  I.  T.,  November  10,  1868. 

SIR  :  I  would  respectfully  call  the  attention  of  your  commission  to  the  fact  that 
there  is  collecting  at  this  point,  for  the  care  and  protection  of  the  government,  under 
my  direction,  some  8,000  or  10,000  of  the  wild  Comanches  and  Kiowas,  and  other 
Indians,  who  of  all  those  upon  the  plains  have  been  least  affected  by  contact  with  the 
white  man.  The  purpose  of  the  government,  here  and  elsewhere,  being  to  place  all 
these  Indians  upon  lands  for  permanent  homes,  where  the  evils  so  loudly  proclaimed 
against  them  cannot  continue,  and  where  he  will  ultimately  become  self-supporting. 
Feeling  that  the  purposes  and  intentions  of  your  commission  are  humane  and  worthy, 
I  would  most  respectfully  suggest  that  one  of  your  number,  or  some  person  chosen  by 
you,  come  to  this  place,  accepting  my  hospitalities  the  coming  winter,  and  here  study 
and  learn  the  condition  and  wants  of  these  people.  Here  an  intelligent  and  true 
remedy  may  l>e  found  for  the  evils  that  surround  them.  I  will  further  say  that  practi- 
cal missionaries  of  good  moral  character,  who  should  be  young  and  active,  of  the  fol- 
lowing avocations,  farmers,  house-builders,  gardeners,  fruiterers,  and  cattle  raisers, 
.with  such  aids  as  will  enable  them  to  instruct  in  all  these  branches,  can  do  much  in 
the  cause  of  humanity,  and  assist  greatly  in  solving  the  true  problem  of  Indian 
amelioration. 

Very  respectfully  yours, 

W.  B.  HAZEN, 

Breret  Major  Gen.  U.  S.  A,,  Commanding  Southern  Indian  District. 
Hon.  PETER  COOPER, 

President  of  U.  S.  Indian  Commission,  Xeiv  York  City. 


APPENDIX  C. 
Authority  and  protection  from  General  Grant. 

FEBRUARY  8,  1869. 

Commanders  of  troops  in  the  Department  of  Missouri  will  please  give  Mr.  Vincent 
Colyer  facilities,  wheu  necessary,  transportation  and  escort  to  reach  Fort  Cobb,  and 
such  other  military  posts  as  he  may  desire  to  visit  in  the  Indian  country. 

U.  S.  GRANT,  General. 


APPENDIX  D. 

FORT  LEAVENWORTH,  KANSAS, 

February  23,  1869. 

DEAR  MORGAN  :  Please  let  me  know  about  what  it  will  cost  to  feed  the  Osages  from 
the  time  you  commenced  *  till  the  1st  of  April  ?    Mr.  Colyer  wants  to  know. 
Yours, 

M.  V.  SHERIDAN. 

Reply.— Between  thirty-three  and  thirty-four  thousand  dollars,  ($33,000  and  $34,000.) 

M.  R.  MORGAN, 
Chief  Commissary  of  Subsistence,  Dep't  Mo. 


APPENDIX  E. 

NEW  YORK,  February  25,  1869. 
To  the  Senate  of  tfo  United  States  : 

The  petition  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  United  States  Indian  Commission 
respectfully  shows  that  your  petitioners  have  heard,  with  grave  apprehensions,  that  a 
certain  agreement  with  Indians  for  eight  millions  of  acres  of  laud,  commonly  called 
Osage  Indian  treaty,  now  pending  before  your  honorable  body  for  continuation,  is 
likely  to  obtain  the  assent  of  the  Senate. 

*  About  1st  December. 


58  REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

Your  petitioners  respectfully  ask,  on  behalf  of  the  association  that  we  represent,  that 
said  treaty  be  rejected  by  your  honorable  body,  for  the  following  and  other  palpable 
reasons : 

First.  Because  said  treaty  has  been  formally  denounced  as  "  a  pretended  treaty,"  im- 
properly obtained,  and  as  "an  outrage  on  the  rights  of  the  Indians,"  and  as  urjust  in 
other  respects,  which  denunciation  fully  appears  in  the  report  No.  63,  presented  by 
Hon.  Sidney  Clarke,  from  the  Committee  on  Indian  Affairs  of  the  House  of  Represent- 
atives, and  ordered  to  be  printed  June  18,  1868. 

Secondly.  That  the  Osnge  Indians  are  reported  by  our  own  agent  to  be  in  a  condi- 
tion of  extreme  destitution,  and  therefore  should  not  be  prevented,  as  they  inevitably 
would  be  by  the  confirmation  of  this  pretended  treaty,  from  realizing  the  full  value  of 
any  land  they  may  be  obliged  to  sell.  Whether  the  damaging  allegations  and  current- 
reports  are  true  or  otherwise,  they  tend  to  bring  dishonor  upon  the  country,  and  are 
of  themselves  sufficient  reason  for  the  rejection  of  this  treaty;  and  that  its  passage 
through  the  Senate,  under  all  the  circumstances,  without  full  inquiry  by  disinterested 
and  incorruptible  parties  into  all  the  facts  and  interests  involved,  will  tend  to  the 
dishonor  and  injury  of  the  nation. 

Your  petitioners,  therefore,  respectfully  but  earnestly  appeal  to  your  honorable  body 
to  reject  said  treaty,  and  to  take  such  other  measures  as  may  bo  necessary  to  protect 
the  national  honor,  as  well  as  the  rights  and  interests  of  the  Indians,  who,  in  the 
absence  of  political  power,  must  be  regarded  as  the  wards  of  the  nation. 

PETER  COOPER,  President.          WILLIAM  T.  BLODGETT, 
BENJAMIN  N.  MARTIN,  LE  GRAND  B.  CANNON, 

EDWARD  CROMWELL,  VINCENT  COLYER,  Secretary, 

BENJAMIN  TATHAM,  Treasurer.  Executive  Committee. 

DAVID  DOWS,  ESQ.,  Rev.  H.  W.  BEECHER, 

JONATHAN  STURGES,  ESQ.,        Rev.  H.  CROSBY,  D.D., 
HENRY  BERGH,  ESQ.,  Rev.  E.  H.  CHAPIN,  D.D., 

JACKSON  S.  SCHULTZ,  ESQ.,       Rev.  E.  A.  WASHBURN,  D.D., 
JAMES  A.  ROOSEVELT,  ESQ.,     Rev.  THOMAS  ARMITAGE,  D.D., 
GEORGE  C.  COLLINS,  Rev.  STEPHEN  H.  TYNG,  JK., 

Rev.  JAMES  M.  BULKLEY,  General  Committee. 


E  1. 

The  reports  of  agents  in  the  Osage  country  represented  that  white  settlers,  to  the 
number  of  over  two  thousand,  had  trespassed  upon  the  Osage  lands,  and  during  the 
absence  of  the  tribes  on  their  hunt  last  summer,  had  occupied  their  cabins,  taken  pos- 
session of  their  corn-fields,  cattle,  hogs,  &c.,  refusing  to  move  find  threatening  the  lives 
of  the  Indians  if  they  troubled  them.  One  agent  writes  as  follows  : 

"  Have  received  no  mail  yet.  I  heard  two  days  since  that  No-pa- wa,  chief  of  Little 
Osages,  had  just  arrived  at  his  town  on  Elk  River.  Two  men  were  in  last  evening  to 
see  me — had  come  direct  from  the  mouth  of  Walnut  to  report  the  threatening  attitude 
the  Osages  had  assumed  out  there.  It  seems  that  Hard  Rope  and  Chetopa  are  there, 
and  have  notified  all  the  settlers  to  leave,  creating  much  alarm.  I  think  those  men 
expected  to  obtain  encouragement  and  protection,  or  permission  to  remain.  If  so,  they 
were  disappointed.  Hard  Rope  will  probably  settle  the  disputes  in  the  valley  when 
he  returns,  if  something  is  not  done  before  that  time.  A  young,  industrious  half-breed 
was  in  yesterday,  with  two  of  his  friends,  representing  that  he  had  built  a  cabin,  and" 
had  inclosed  and  cultivated  several  acres  of  ground  ;  had  been  there  four  years.  Now 
the  whites  have  surrounded  him,  and  one  has  built  within  a  few  yards  of  his  own 
house,  and  threatens  his  life  if  he  does  not  leave  his  houses;  don't  allow  him  to  cut 
timber  for  rails,  &c.  There  is  no  language  used  among  Friends  that  fully  describes 
the  meanness  and  ingratitude  of  some  of  those  settlers ;  at  least  I  am  ignorant  of  the 
terms.  I  went  to  see  another  case  last  week.  The  man  came  last  spring  ;  found  a  full- 
blood  living  on  a  very  desirable  piece  of  ground.  He  told  the  Indian  if  he  would  let 
him  build  a  cabin  by  him  he  would  plow  his  ground  for  him,  and  do  many  other  good 
things  for  him.  The  Indian  took  him  in,  and  now  he  threatens  the  life  of  the  Indian 
if  he  comes  on  the  claim.  I  reasoned  the  case  with  him,  but  to  no  purpose  ;  told  him  to 
pay  the  Indian  a,  reasonable  price  for  his  improvement,  or  he  must  get  off  the  claim. 
He  refused  to  do  either.  In  conversation  with  the  Indian,  I  asked  him  if  he  felt  like 
taking  revenge.  He  answered  that  he  was  trying  to  live  a  good  Catholic,  or  he  would 
not  take  such  injustice.  This  is  a  sad  case  otherwise,  for  as  they  were  going  out  to 
the  hunt,  this  Indian's  wife's  brother  (a  lad)  accidentally  shot  dead  an  Indian  man. 
The  lad's  life  was  only  saved  by  this  Indian's  giving  ten  ponies,  which  was  all  he  had, 
to  the  dead  Indian's  family.  So  he  was  unable,  for  the  want  of  ponies,  to  continue  on 
the  hunt,  and  returned  to  find  the  torpid  serpent  he  had  taken  in,  warmed  to  life  and 
ready  to  kill  him." 


REPORT    OF   THE    COMMISSION   OX   INDIAN    AFFAIES.  59 

APPENDIX  F. 

The  Cherokee  chiefs  themselves  say,  on  the  proposal  to  give  their  nation  a  territorial 
government,  a  subject  which  was  attracting  the  attention  of  the  Cherokees  while  I  was 
there,  and  is  now  daily  increasing  in  interest  hefore  Congress: 

The  Indian — living  for  more  than  a  hundred  generations  where  the  supply  of  game 
was  inexhaustible ;  his  clothing,  what  little  custom  or  climate  rendered  desirable — to 
a  great  extent  the  result  of  his  sports ;  under  circumstances  which  rendered  it  unde- 
sirable and  utterly  impossible  to  accumulate  wealth ;  a  state  of  existence  in  which 
each  day  provided  for  itself— has  been  developed  into  a  type  of  man,  as  peculiar  as  the 
circumstances  which  have  surrounded  him,  a  type  in  which  the  idea  and  consequently 
the  habit  of  accumulation  is  entirely  dormant  and  undeveloped;  but  through  all  the 
long  ages  past  there  lias  been  no  protection  against  neighboring  hordes,  except  his 
activity,  his  cunning,  and  his  valor.  Hence  the  development  of  the  warlike  traits  of 
his  character.  That  character  has  been  made  what  it  is  by  the  laws  of  nature,  as 
universal  and  inexorable  as  those  of  gravitation.  The  people  of  Holland,  for  instance, 
have  been  for  many  generations  developed  under  extremely  dissimilar  circumstances. 
A  dense  population  on*a  small  territory  render  toiling  industry  and  frugality  neces- 
sary to  their  well-being.  Hence  accumulation  naturally  comes  to  be  the  ruling  idea 
of  their  lives.  Trained  for  many  generations  under  a  well-regulated  government  and 
iu  a  country  monotonously  flat,  the  Hollander  is  mild  and  peaceable. 

The  Indian  is  called  indolent;  and  so  he  is,  for  lack  of  a  motive  which  can  arouse 
his  peculiar  development.  Place  an  Arapaho  and  a  German  on  the  plains  alone; 
make  revenge  or  friendship  the  motive ;  and  a  school-boy  can  tell  you  which  would 
display  the  most  •unconquerable  energy ;  braving  fatigue,  hunger,  danger,  and  death 
itself. 

Change  the  scene  to  Washington.  To  labor  for  hire  the  German  would  toil  day  and 
night,  while  the  Indian  would  not  earn  his  bread — would  sleep  and  prove  worthless. 

Such  is  the  difference  between  the  red  and  white  races,  as  we  now  have  them.  The 
difference  in  their  developments  cannot  be  effaced  by  an  act  of  Congress,  nor  can  the 
result  of  peculiar  training  through  a  hundred  generations  be  entirely  changed  by  one 
generation  of  a  different  training. 

The  Cherokees  are  now,  by  a  forward  movement  through  two  generations,  far  in 
advance  of  the  Arapaho,  but  equally  far  behind  the  white  races  in  that  industry, 
habit,  and  energy  of  character  which  is  the  result  of  the  development  of  the  idea  of 
accumulation. 

To  mingle  the  Cherokees  and  white  men  together  in  the  same  community  would 
result  in  the  white  men  soon  owning  everything,  the  Indian  nothing;  and  he  becomes 
a  worthless  outcast  in  the  country  which  was  once  all  his  own — his  home. 

We  wish  to  avoid  this.  Will  a  generous  and  great  nation  deny  to  a  weak  and  de- 
fenseless people  existence  ? 

We  know  that  all  the  varied  forms  of  territorial  government  are  but  an  initiatory 
step  to  crowding  white  settlers  among  our  people.  We  are  told  that  it  would-  make  uo 
difference  how  we  are  secured  and  protected  so  it  is  effected,  and  that  it  would  be  done 
as  effectually  by  legislation  as  by  treaty;  but  to 'us  it  appears  that  Avhen  once  cut  loose 
from  our  treaty  moorings,  we  will  roll  and  tumble  upon  the  tempestuous  ocean  of 
American  politics  and  congressional  legislation,  and  ship  wreck  be  our  inevitable  desti- 
nation. We  now  have  our  moorings.  We  have  the  protection  of  this  powerful  gov- 
ernment to  look  to ;  its  pledges  to  rely  upon.  Need  we  apologize  for  thinking  that  the 
government  of  Washington  and  the  Adamses  is  still  generous  and  honorable  i 

The  Cherokees  wish  to  build  and  own,  by  such  company  of  Cherokee  citizens  as  shall 
be  organized  under  the  authority  of  the  Cherokee  National  Council,  the  railroads 
crossing  their  own  lauds,  meeting  and  connecting  with  such  roads  as  approach  their 
border.  They  wish  to  do  this  for  reasons  above  all  pecuniary  considerations.  They 
know  that  to  have  the  roads  contemplated  through  their  country  owned  by  capitalists 
who  are  strangers  to  them,  who  will  only  look  upon  their  nationality  as  an  iucum- 
braiice,  and,  perhaps,  their  presence,  in  any  form,  asa  nuisance,  would  result  in  the  loss 
of  their  lands  and  destruction  of  their  people. 

They  have  the  means  to  build  their  roads,  as  above  indicated.  By  allowing  them  to 
do  so  a  nation  will,  perhaps,  be  saved.  By  refusing  the  privilege  to  them  the  first 
successful  experiment  in  the  civilization  of  the  Indian  will  be  checked  and  cut  off  in 
the  midst  of  its  success,  and  the  last  eager  hope  of  a  race  extinguished.  For  the  lands 
in  the  Indian  territory,  the  last  and  only  spot  in  North  America  owned  and  controlled 
by  Indians,  and  it  has  been  fondly  hoped  should  finally  be  the  last  refuge  of  the 
remnants  of  all  the  tribes  exterminated  by  operation  of  natural  laws  before  referred  to. 

Do  Cherokees  ask  too  much  when  they  ask  for  existence  ?  Cannot  they  be  allowed 
those  conditions  necessary  to  existence ;  especially  when  all  they  ask  interferes  with 
the  rights  of  no  livjug  man  ?  Have  the  Cherokees  anything  claimed  or  owned  by  any 
other  man  ?  Whom  do  they  wrong  ?  They  ask  the  privilege  to  live  on  and  enjoy"  their 
own  lands,  which  the  United  States  have  given  them  its  most  solemn  pledges  to  protect 


60  REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

them  in.    Do  they  ask  too  mvich  T    They  believe  the  government  will  be  faithful — fulfill 
all  its  pledgee.     Do  they  wrong  the  government  or  the  people  in  believing  this? 

LEWIS  DOWNING, 
Principal  Chief  Cherokee  Nation. 

WM.  P.  ADAIR. 

ARCH.  SCRAPER. 

SAMUEL  SMITH. 

J.  P.  DAVIS. 

C.  N.  VANN. 


APPENDIX  G. 

Public  schools  of  the  Cherokee  Nation,  March,  1869. 


Names  of  the  districts. 

No.  of  children  neach 
district. 

Condition  of  school- 
houses. 

Names  of  teachers. 

Qualificat'n  of  teach'rs. 

Amount  paid  to  teach- 
ers per  month. 

Average  attendance'  of 
scholars. 

No.  of  males. 

No.  of  females. 

No.  of  orphans  attend- 
ing seluml. 

Total  No.  of  children. 

1    Se<moyah  district 

3 

Poor. 

William  Patton   .  . 

Medium  .  . 

$40 

Ready  Taylor 

do 

40 

62 

54 

5? 

15 

121 

do 

40 

2    Illinois  district 

4 

Poor 

Win  H  Campbell 

..  do 

40 

N.  E.  Boynton  

do    

40 

132 

ni 

lift 

'M 

269 

do 

40 

J.  B.  Hitchcock  .  .  . 

.  .  do  .  . 

40 

;i.  Canadian  district.  .  . 

3 

Good.. 

E.  F.  Fitzgerald.  .  . 

...  .do  
do 

40 
40 

108 

ioi 

i?i 

15 

237 

M  E  Archer 

do 

40 

3 

Good 

Ruth  Adah-  

..do      .. 

40 

Wm.  H.  Davis  

do  

40 

63 

58 

00 

15 

133 

40 

S   Going  Snake  dist 

5 

Good 

C  E  "Bnshvhead 

do 

40 

C.  McCrary  ...  . 

40 

Win  Thompson  . 

do    . 

40 

168 

111 

m 

25 

269 

G.  E.  Tro-wnridge 

do    

40 

do 

40 

4 

Good 

40 

40 

144 

85 

96 

20 

201 

Lizzie  Parks  
Bell  Pierson  

Medium  .  . 
do    

40 
10 

7.  Delaware  district  .  . 

4 

Poor.. 

E.  B.  Sanders  
D  Daniel 

....do  
do 

40 
40 



.... 



do 

40 

69 

84 

6" 

20 

166 

.   .  do    .   . 

40 

8.  Saline  district   

3 

Good.. 

Wm.  H.  Turner  . 

...do  

40 

81 

till 

50 

15 

134 

J.  Griffin  

....do  

40 

69 

9.  Coo-we-skoo-we  dist 

3 

Poor.. 

E.  Archer  
John  T.  Adair  
A.  E.  Adair  

Abv.  med. 
Medium  .  . 
do    

40 
40 
40 

81 

fi<T 

50 

15 

134 

Susan  Harris  

....do  

40 

39 

39 

30 

15 

84 

Total 

32 

1  280 

866 

734 

791 

160 

1  G14 

The  superintendent  says :  "  The  progress  of  onr  common  schools  during  the  past 
year  has  been  great;  our  people  are  manifesting  the  interest  which  the  importance  of 
the  subject  demands.  It  is  manifest  to  all  thinking  persons  that  we  are  trying  to  keep 
pace  with  our  ever-advancing  age ;  the  hatred  of  men  is  every  day  lessened  by  the 
gradual  improvement  of  our  people;  let  us  have  our  high  schools  put  iuto  operation. 
I  trust  that  when  you  are  called  upon  to  act  on  this  question  we  shall  all  take  lofty 
ground  and  cast  our  votes  that  the  blessings  of  education  shall  be  conferred  on  every 
child  of  the  nation." 

SPENCER  S.  STEPHENS, 
Superintendent  Public  Schools. 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    OX    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 


61 


APPENDIX  H. 

Statement  of  all  Indians  of  all  sexes  and  ages  belonging  to  the  southern  Indian  district,  from 
actual  count  and  the  best  authority,  February  1,  1869. 


• 

-** 

1 

Absent. 

Aggregate. 

Remarks. 

COMANCHE  AND  KIOWA  AGENCY. 

Comanches  : 
Peimelakas  

248 

Accurate. 
Accurate. 
Accurate. 
Approximate. 
Approximate. 
Approximate. 
Approximate. 
786  accurate,  300  approximate. 
Accurate. 

360  accurate,  500  approximate. 
Approximate. 

Accurate. 
Accurate. 
Accurate. 
Accurate. 
Accurate  147  at  Cherokeetown,  C.  X. 
50  at  Cherokeetowu,  C.  N. 
400  at  Cherokeetown.  C.  N. 

312 

Yamparakas  

356 

Quuhudas        ..             .                         

700 
500 
200 
100 
300 

... 

Coochoetakas  

•  

Yachakeenees        

Moachis 

Kiowas  

786 
281 

Apaches  

AUAPAHOE6  AND  CHEYENNE  AGENCY. 

Arapahoes  

1983 

1800 

3783 

360 

500 

1500 

Cheyennes  

JWICHITA  AGENCY. 

Affiliated  bands: 
Wichitns  

360 

2000 

2360 

298 
94 

Wacoes  

Kuchies  

99 

Tawacarroes  

123 

Caddoes.... 

284 

147 
50 
400 



Debt  wares  

Shawnees. 

Grand  total  of  all  tribes  and  bands  

898 

597 

1495 

7638 

Official. 


HEADQUARTERS  SOUTHERN  INDIANA  DISTRICT, 
Camp  at  Medicine  Bluff  Creek,  Indian  Territory,  February  16,  1869. 

CHAS.  G.  PENNEY, 

Bi-cvet  Captain  United  States  Army,  Disbursing  Officer, 


APPENDIX  I. 

ACTING  ASSISTANT  ADJUTANT  GENERAL, 

Headquarters  District  of  Xeic  Mexico. 

MAJOR  :  I  have  the  honor  to  report  that  there  arrived  at  this  post  to-day  five  Coyo- 
teros  Apaches  (one  a  Mexican  captive,)  accompanied  by  the  governor  and  three  others 
of  the  men  of  Zunie,  the  Apaches  headed  by  their  chief,  Es-cha-pa,  alias  Miguel,  the 
One-eyed.  The  chief  bears  with  him  two  papers,  both  old ;  one  given  by  General  Carle- 
ton,  dated  September  11,  1865,  being  a  permit  to  visit  Santa  F6  ;  the  other  given  by  R. 
Pollock,  lieutenant  colonel  Second  California  infantry,  commanding  post  of  Fort  Good- 
win, Arizona  Territory,  dated  April  26, 1866,  representing  him  to  be  a  good  Indian.  Mi- 
guel stated  that  he  was  once  held  a  prisoner  at  Fort  Sunnier,  and  wa-s  set  free  ;  that  he 
has  been  in  the  habit  of  visiting  Santa  Fe"  every  year,  except  this  year;  that  his  band  is  a 
small  one,  being  at  the  Carregas,  north  of  the  Sierra  Blanca  and  this  side  of  the  Rio 
Prieto;  that  he  has  had  no  connection  with  the  hostile  tribes,  and  that  his  people  are 
now  engaged  in  planting,  and  desire  to  remain  at  peace  with  us — that  being  the 
object  of  his  visit  here.  I  replied  to  him  that  we  were  now  at  war  with  all  the 
southern  Apaches,  troops  being  in  the  iield  against  them,  (of  which  he  seemed  to  bo 


62  REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS1 

aware:)  that  I  could  only  guarantee  his  people  from  molestation  of  the  troops  at  this 
post,  and  that  only  so  long  as  I  had  assurances  of  their  good  behavior  ;  and  that  if  he 
desired  a  permanent  peace  he  must  go  to  Santa  F6,  to  talk  with  the  commanding  gen- 
eral. He  answered  that  lie  would  do  that  as  soon  as  his  health,  which  was  bad,  would 
permit  him,  and  as  soon  as  he  had  finished  his  planting  :  say  two  months. 

I  then  promised  him  a  paper  stating  his  friendly  expressions,  with  which  to  return 
to  his  home,  to  exhibit  it  to  any  troops  that  might  come  near  him,  and  advised  him  to 
keep  his  people  at  work  in  their  ranches,  apart  from  all  others.  It  is  difficult  to  deter- 
mine correctly  whether  the  representations  of  Miguel  be  true,  or  whether  his  people 
have  simply  been  driven  north  by  the  movements  of  troops  below.  His  appearance 
and  mariner  were  in  his  favor.  He  seems  to  be  on  friendly  terms  with  the  people  of 
Zunie,  and  desired  the  same  with  the  Navajoes.  He  brought  his  owu  interpreter,  the 
language  spoken  by  him  bearing  a  marked  difference  from  the  Navajo,  with  many 
words  the  same. 

I  make  this  report  for  information,  in  view  of  the  present  state  of  hostilities  with 
the  Apaches. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant,     | 

A.  W.  EVANS, 

Bvt.  Lieut.  Col.  U.  S.  A.,  Major  '3d  Cavalry. 
A  true  copy : 

JNO.  C.  GRAHAM, 
Second  Lieutenant  Third  Cavalry,  Post  Adjutant. 


APPENDIX  J. 

HEADQUARTERS  DISTRICT  OF  NEW  MEXICO, 

Santa  IV,  N.  M.,  June  -28,  1869. 

SIR:  In  reply  to  your  letter  dated  Fort  Wingate,  June  30,  1869,  I  must  state  that  in 
my  opinion  your  contemplated  visit  to  the  council  to  be  held  between  Apache  and 
Navajo  chiefs,  at  Ojo  Caliente,  on  the  5th  proximo,  will  be  attended  with  so  much  of 
personal  danger  to  yourself  as  to  render  a  larger  escort  necessary  than  can  well  be  fur- 
nished you;  large  escorts  might  also  make  the  Indians  uneasy  and  suspicious  and 
seriously  interfere  with  your  plans  and  intentions  in  being  present. 

I  understand  that  the  Apache  chiefs  intend  to  come  to  Santa  F6  at  the  termination 
of  the  council,  in  which  case,  a  more  favorable  opportunity  for  communicating  with 
them  on  the  points  mentioned  in  your  letter  will  be  offered. 
Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

GEO.  W.  GETTY, 
Brevet  Major  General  Commanding. 
Mr.  VINCENT  COLYEK, 

Secretary  United  States  Indian  Commission. 


Interesting  scout  among  White  Mountain  Apaches. 

Lieutenant  Colonel  John  Green,  United  States  Army,  furnishes  the  department  of 
California  an  exceedingly  interesting  report  of  a  scout  after  Apaches  among  the  mount- 
ains of  Arizona  Territory.  We  have  condensed  the  report  as  much  as  possible  without 
destroying  its  interest.  After  .detailing  the  personnel  of  his  command,  the  start  from 
Camp  Goodwin,  loss  of  pack-mules,  and  consequent  reduction  of  command,  he  reports 
as  follows  from  camp  on  the  Gila  River:  (We  have  suppressed  all  non-essentials.) 

July  29,  owing  to  the  roughness  of  the  trail  yesterday,  and  many  of  the  horses  and 
mules  having  lost  their  shoes,  I  had  to  remain  in  camp- in  order  to  have  the  animals 
re-shod.  I  had  learned  that  there  was  a  large  amount  of  corn  planted  on  the  White 
Mountain  River,  for  which  point  I  started  on  the  morning  of  July  30;  marched  about 
eighteen  miles  and  went  into  camp  on  that  stream.  I  started  Lieutenant  Upham  with 
twenty  mounted  men  and  some  scouts  to  look  for  the  corn-fields.  They  returned  in  the 
evening  and  reported  that  they  had  found  some  very  large  ones,  and  that  the  further 
up  they  went,  the  larger  they  seemed  to  get;  but  they  had  not  time  that  evening  to 
explore  further.  About  sunset  a  party  was  discovered  approaching  the  camp,  which 
proved  to  be  two  white  men  (a  Mr.  Cooley  and  Mr.  Dodd,)  an  Apache  chief  (Pin-dah- 
kiss  or  Miguel,)  another  Indian,  and  a  Mexican,  who  lives  with  them  and  acts  as  their 
interpreter.  The  Avhite  men  stated  they  .were  prospecting  for  gold,  and  had  come,  with 
Miguel,  from  Fort  Wingate,  New  Mexico,  from  the  commanding  officer  of  which  post 
(Colonel  Evans)  Miguel  had  a  letter  of  recommendation.  He  had  also  letters  from 
General  Carleton,  former  commander  of  the  district  of  New  Mexico,  and  General  Getty, 
present  commander.  I  placed  the  party  under  guard  that  night,  and  on  the  following 


REPORT    OF   THE   COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN   AFFAIRS.  63 

morning  had  a  talk  with  them.  Miguel  stated  his  village  was  thirty  miles  distant,  on 
the  Rio  Cariga ;  that  he  had  never  been  at  war  with  the  whites,  and  always  wanted 
to  be  at  peace ;  and  that  he  now  saw,  since  the  troops  had  found  their  way  into  that 
country,  it  was  necessary  he  should  get  at  a  reservation  where  he  could  be  protected. 
He  also  stated  that  he  had  been  several  times  to  the  posts  in  New  Mexico,  and  had 
always  been  well  treated.  I  then  informed  him  he  did  not  belong  to  New  Mexico,  but 
to  Arizona,  and  that  if  he  wanted  to  make  any  arrangements  with  the  military  author- 
ities he  must  go  to  camp  McDowell  and  see  the  district  commander.  I  then  told  him 
I  had  nothing  more  to  say,  but  would  send  some  officers  and  men  with  him  to  his  vil- 
lage, to  see  if  the  white  men  were  trading  arms  and  ammunition  with  them,  as  I  had 
previously  understood;  but  that  if  everything  was  found  right,  the  officer  in  command 
would  have  a  further  talk  with  him.  I  then  detailed  Captain  Barry,  Lieutenants 
Upham  and  Calhoun,  and  fifty  mounted  men:  chief  scout  Manuel,  with  eight  of  his 
men ;  Gallegos,  a  guide ;  and  Mr.  George  Collier,  interpreter,  for  this  purpose.  They 
left  my  camp  at  eight  a.  in.,  (this  July  31.)  Believing  that  many  of  these  Indians,  if 
not  all,  had  been  guilty  of  marauding,  I  instructed  Captain  Barry,  if  possible,  to 
exterminate  the  whole  village,  but  gave  no  positive  orders ;  he  was  to  be  governed  by 
circumstances.  Soon  after  Captain  Barry  left,  I  broke  up  camp  and  moved  up  White 
Mountain  River  about  five  miles,  to  where  I  supposed  was  the  central  points  of  the 
com  fields,  and  went  into  camp ;  then  detailed  all  the  men,  except  a  small  guard  for 
camp,  and  commenced  to  destroy  the  corn.  At  least  one  hundred  acres  of  tine  corn, 
just  in  silk,  were  destroyed,  and  it  took  the  command  nearly  three  days  to  do  it.  I  was 
astonished,  and  could  hardly  believe  that  the  Apache  Indians  could  and  would  culti- 
vate the  soil  to  such  an  extent ;  and  when  we  consider  their  very  rude  implements, 
and  the  labor  it  reqires  to  dig  the  acequias  for  irrigation,  one  cannot  help  but  wonder 
at  their  success.  Their  fields  compare  very  favorably  with  those  of  their  more  civilized 
brethren. 

On  the  night  of  August  1  Captain  Barry  returned  with  his  command,  and  reported  that 
when  he  approached  Miguel's  village  there  was  a  white  Hag  flying  from  every  hut  and 
from  every  prominent  point ;  that  the  men,  women,  and  children,  came  out  to  meet  them, 
and  went  to  work  at  once  to  cut  corn  for  their  horses,  and  showed  such  a  spirit  of  delight 
at  meeting  them  that  the  officers  united  in  saying,  if  they  had  fired  on  them,  they 
would  have  been  guilty  of  cold-blooded  murder.  Even  my  chief  scout  Manuel,  who 
has  no  scruples  in  such  matters,  and  whose  mind  was  filled  with  taking  scalps  when 
he  left  camp,  said  he  could  not  have  fired  on  them  after  what  he  saw.  Captain  Barry 
also  found  that  the  white  men  had  nothing  but  some  provisions  and  implements — being 
what  they  represented  themselves,  prospecting  miners.  Miguel  reiterated  that  he 
wanted  to  go  on  a  reservation  where  he  could  be  protected,  and  Captain  Barry  repeated 
what  I  had  previously  told  him,  that  he  must  go  to  Camp  McDowell  and  see  the  dis- 
trict commander.  He  also  gave  him  a  letter  for  that  purpose.  Miguel  promised  to 
start  on  the  following  day,  and  commenced  to  make  preparations  at  once.  The  white 
men  were  also  to  accompany  him. 

The  Apaches  have  but  few  friends,  and,  I  believe,  no  agent.  Even  the  officers,  when 
applied  to  by  them  for  information,  cannot  tell  them  what  to  do.  There  seems  no  set- 
tled policy,  but  a  general  policy  to  kill  them  wherever  found.  I  am  also  a  believer  in 
that,  if  we  go  in  for  extermination  ;  but  I  think — and  I  am  sustained  in  my  opinion  by 
most  of  the  officers  accompanying  my  expedition — that  if  Miguel  and  his  band  were 
placed  on  a  reservation  properly  managed,  and  had  a  military  post  to  protect  them, 
they  would  form  a  nucleus  for  the  civilization  of  the  Apaches,  as  they  seem  more  sus- 
ceptible of  it  than  any  tribe  I  have  ever  seen.  I  even  believe  the  Apache,  if  properly 
managed,  could  be  used  against  the  Apache,  and  so  end  the  war  in  a  short  time.  Miguel 
said  he  had  soldiers,  and  would  place  them  at  my  disposal  whenever  I  wanted  them. 
*#*#**»** 

I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  GREEN, 
Major  First  Cavalry,  Bvt.  Lieut.  Col.  U.  S.  A.,  Commanding  Post. 


The  department  commander  regards  this  expedition  as  of  great  importance,  and 
commends  the  zeal,  bravery,  and  perseverance  of  the  officers  and  men  who  composed 
it.  He  has  forwarded  a  copy  of  it  to  the  Adjutant  General  for  the  information  of  the 
Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  asking  that  steps  be  taken  to  protect  and  provide  for 
the  friendly  Apaches  in  their  own  country,  and  he  renews  a  previous  recommendation 
that  an  additional  brevet  be  conferred  on  Colonel  Green,  and  that  Captain  Barry  and 
Lieutenant  Calhoun  be  brevetted  one  grade  ;  that  Corporal  John  W.  Ward,  Troop  K, 
First  Cavalry,  and  Private  William  Williams,  Troop  K.  First  Cavalry,  have  some  mark 
of  commendation  conferred  upon  them  for  special  gallantry  in  the  field. 

Furnished  by  command  of  Brevet  Major  General  Ord. 

JOHN  P.  SHERBURNE, 
Assistant  Adjutant  General. 


64  REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    OX    INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

APPENDIX  K. 

FORT  McRAE,  N.  M.,  September  3,  1869. 

SIR  :  I  have  the  honor  to  state  that,  in  compliance  with  instructions  received  from 
Major  William  Clinton,  United  States  Army,  superintendent  of  Indian  affairs  for  New 
Mexico,  I  proceeded  toward  Fort  Bayard,  New  Mexico,  to  endeavor  to  communicate 

with  the  southern  Apache  tribes  of  Indians. 

******** 

I  immediately  proceeded  to  Fort  McRac,  and  with  the  assistance  of  the  commanding 
officer  of  the  post,  Brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel  J.  C.  Gilrnore,  Thirty-eighth  United  States 
Infantry,  I  found  some  Mexicans  who  were  willing  to  go  to  the  chief  and  endeavor  to 
bring  him  in.  After  three  days,  Loco,  chief  of  the  Mimbres  tribe,  came,  accompanied 
by  three  warriors  and  four  squaws.  I  then,  through  the  means  of  interpreters,  had  a 
talk  with  them,  at  which  the  officers  of  the  post  were  present.  From  this  interview  I 
learned  that  he  (Loco)  is  willing  to  abandon  the  war  path,  and  says  he  can  speak  for 
all  of  his  tribe.  He  says  that  they  want  peace,  and  good  peace,  and  no  lie,  (as  he  ex- 
presses himself.)  Loco  also  says  that  Lopez,  one  of  the  chiefs  of  the  Gila  Apaches,  who 
range  in  the  Burro  Mountains,  is  at  his  camp,  and  that  Lopez's  tribe  are  willing  to  coiive 
in  after  they  see  what  becomes  of  Loco.  Lopez  could  not  be  persuaded  to  come  in  and 
have  a  talk,  but  said  Loco  could  speak  for  him. 

In  speaking  of  what  they  wanted,  Loco  says  they  want  to  plant  near  the  Cuchio  Negro, 
where  they  used  to  plant  before  they  were  driven  away ;  also  to  hunt  on  the  east  side 
of  the  Mimbres  Mountains  as  far  south  as  old  Fort  Thorn,  and  as  far  as  the  mountains 
east  of  the  Rio  Grande,  known  as  the  Sierra  del  Caballos,  and  to  a  distance  of  twenty 
miles  north  of  Fort  McRae.  They  want  to  have  the  fort  left  here  for  their  protection. 
They  appear  very  willing  to  make  peace,  and  I  think  that  with  proper  care  and  by 
treating  them  honestly  and  justly,  the  whole  of  the  Apache  tribes  may  be  brought  in 
from  the  war  path.  I  am  confident  that  this  Loco  and  his  tribe  are  the  ones  that  have 
been  committing  the  depredations  north  and  southwest  of  this  point,  as  some  of  the 
Avarriors  are  wounded. 

In  my  opinion,  no  better  place  could  be  had  to  negotiate  with  them  from  than  this, 
for  should  you  go  out  to  them  with  troops,  they  will  hide,  and  if  you  go  alone  you  are 
not  apt  to  return.  Loco  has  promised  to  remain  camped  where  he  now  is,  until  I  hear 
from  this  letter  and  know  your  wishes.  Not  having  any  funds  or  goods,  and  no  au- 
thority to  promise  anything,  it  is  impossible  to  carry  out  my  instructions. 

I  would  also  strongly  recommend  that  immediate  action  be  taken,  as  we  can  now 
communicate  with  all  the  tribes  from  this  point,  which  I  deem  the  most  practicable 

one,  and  perhaps  save  many  valuable  lives  and  much  property. 

*      .          *  *  *  *  *  *  * 

If  this  opportunity  is  lost  it  will  be  almost  impossible  to  again  allay  their  suspicion, 
and  I  would  beg  that  if  anything  is  to  be  done  with  them,  it  be  done  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible. 

I  would  request  an  answer  to  this  communication  as  soon  as  practicable. 
All  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted. 
I  am,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

CHAS.  E.  DREW, 

First  Lieutenant  U.  S.  A,,  Indian  Agent. 
Hon.  E.  S.  PARKER, 

Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  Washington,  D.  C. 


APPENDIX  L. 

FORT  McRAE,  N.  M.,  October  11,  1869. 

SIR  :  I  have  the  honor  to  make  the  following  report  of  a  council  on  the  10th  with 
the  following  named  chiefs  of  the  Apaches,  viz :  Loco,  Victoria,  Lopez,  Chastine,  and 
one  whose  name  I  cannot  write  or  pronounce. 

The  first  three  I  have  met  twice  before.  The  last  two  are  of  the  tribe  known  as  the 
Mogollon  Apaches. 

There  were  some  forty  warriors,  and  I  saw  lookouts  on  almost  every  hill,  besides  a 
guard  over  their  animals  about  half  a  mile  distant. 

The  council  was  held  on  the  outskirts  of  a  small  Mexican  town  called  Canada  Ala- 
mosa,  which  is  the  northern  boundary  of  what  they  want  for  a  reservation.  Loco 
seems  to  be  the  head  of  all,  and  does  all  the  talking.  Previous  to  my  going  to  see  them 
this  time  he  sent  four  of  his  men  to  me  for  rations  to  enable  them  to  cross  the  country 
to  get  some  chiefs  of  the  Mescaleros  to  come  and  see  me.  I  gave  them  live  days — they 
expected  to  be  gone  twelve.  All  the  tribes  mentioned  were  once  under  one  chief  called 
Mangus  Colorado,  who  was  killed  by  the  California  troops  while  a  prisoner.  The  son 
of  this  chief  was  at  the  council,  but  is  not  a  chief.  Since  his  death  they  separated  and 
are  under  different  chiefs,  and  take  their  name  from  the  mountains  where  they  ran^e. 


REPORT    OF   THE    COMMISSION   ON   INDIAN   AFFAIRS.  65 

They  only  know  themselves  as  Apaches.  Loco  says  they  will  all  come  in  from  the  war 
path  if  their  Great  Father  will  give  them  food  and  clothing. 

I  cannot  make  them  understand  why  I  cannot  give  them  blankets  and  tobacco  now  ; 
they  say  it  is  much  cold  and  they  need  them.  I  told  them  their  Great  Father  was  a  long 
way  off  and  it  would  take  a  long  time  to  get  them,  and  they  say  they  will  wait  until 
I  hear  from  their  Great  Father.  They  say  I  must  hear  pretty  soon. 

The  Mogollous  had  fine  animals,  and  they  are  in  good  condition,  I  was  told  by  a 
Mexican  there  were  eighty-four  warriors  of  this  tribe  beyond  the  Hot  Springs,  and  one 
hundred  and  thirty-two  of  the  members,  besides  women  and  children.  He  thought 
there  must  be  four  hundred  in  all.  They  were  very  suspicious,  and  all  came  well  armed, 
a  great  many  with  guns,  the  rest  with  lances  and  bows.  I  could  not  get  them  jnto  town 
as  I  did  before,  on  account  of  a  citizen  scout  of  twenty-five  men,  under  Captain  J.  M. 
Billiard,  acting  under  General  Order  No.  1,  issued  by  his  excellency  Governor  Pile. 
They  came  into  town  while  the  chiefs  were  with  me  in  a  house  having  a  talk.  The 
scout  behaved  well,  and  moved  out  of  town  at  my  request.  The  Indians,  however, 
took  every  precaution  to  prevent  a  surprise,  and  were  very  restless,  wfth  the  exception 
of  those  who  had  met  me  before.  It  is  impossible  to  get  near  them  with  soldiers,  they 
are  so  suspicious. 

The  commanding  officer  of  this  post,  Brevet  Major  Shorkley,  Fifteenth  Infantry,  was 
present  at  this  council.  The  Indians  did  not  come  in  as  they  agreed  until  I  went  with 
my  interpreter  a  mile  or  more  from  town  to  meet  them. 

The  Mogoilons  are  the  ones  that  have  been  committing  depredations  below  Fort 
Cummings  and  vicinity. 

The  Mescaleros  commit  the  murders  about  St.  Augustine  Springs  and  Pass.  All  the 
warriors  I  have  seen  are  young  and  hardy,  and  a  great  many  of  them  have  been  wounded. 
I  think  it  would  be  less  expense  to  the  government  to  feed  and  clothe  them  than  to  let 
them  run  as  they  do  now. 

There  have  not  been  so  many  together  as  at  present  for  several  years,  and  something 
ought  to  be  done  in  the  way  of  clothing  and  blankets  now.  This  is  the  time  of  year 
they  feel  "the  need  of  such  things,  and  in  my  opinion,  if  these  that  are-here  now  could 
be  placed  somewhere  and  fixed  up  a  little,  it  would  be  the  means  of  bringing  a  great 
many  more,  which,  perhaps,  could  not  be  done  next  spring. 

I  have  been  among  them  three  times  now,  and  do  not  feel  disposed  to  go  again  with- 
out something  to  give  them  in  the  way  of  clothing. 

They  are  getting  together  in  such  numbers,  that  if  they  are  not  kept  at  peace  they 
will  be  able  to  give  the  troop's  in  this  vicinity  a  great  deal  of  trouble,  besides  the  loss 
of  life  and  property. 

I  would  earnestly  request  that  you  urge  the  department  to  do  something  at  once, 
and  give  me  definite  instructions  in  the  matter. 

Loco  says  he  will  keep  what  there  now  are  together  where  they  now  are,  which  is  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  Sierra  Negrette  Mountains  and  the  Hot  Springs,  and  will  also  try 
and  get  as  many  more  of  them  as  he  can.  I  am  certain  that  Loco  means  peace,  but  he 
will  have  hard  work  to  keep  some  of  them,  as  I  believe  Victoria  is  not  disposed  to  do 
so  if  he  can  keep  enough  warriors  with  him.  At  present  he  has  a  very  small  band  and 
can  do  nothing  unless  some  of  the  others  get  discontented.  There  will  probably  be 
depredations  committed  in  different  places  by  members  of  this  same  tribe,  although 
they  have  to  shoulder  a  great  deal  done  by  the  Mexicans,  for  instance,  the  killing  of 

the  mail-carrier  near  Paraje,  of  which  mention  is  made  in  the  Santa  F6  papers. 

*  *  *  *•*  *  *  * 

I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

CHAS.  E.  DREW, 

First  Lieutenant  U.  S.  A.,  Indian  Agentt 
Major  WM.  CLINTON,  U.  S.  A., 

Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs,  New  Mexico. 


APPENDIX  M. 

FORT  McRAE,  NEW  MEXICO,  December  1,  1869. 

SIR  :  I  have  the  honor  to  report  that  I  have  visited  the  Indians  of  my  agency  twice 
this  month,  and  find  that  they  still  wish  to  be  placed  on  a  reservation,  and  not  be  dis- 
turbed by  any  one.  On  my  first  visit  they  were  only  five  miles  from  Canada  Alamosa ; 
within  the  past  ten  days  they  have  broken  up  their  camp  and  moved  to  the  Hot 
Springs,  twenty  miles  from  their  former  camp.  I  was  in  their  camp  two  days  this 
week,  and  find  them  in  a  destitute  condition.  I  have  given  them  some  corn,  but  as  yet 
no  meat.  I  hardly  know  what  to  do.  It  is  certain  they  must  be  fed  regular,  or  they 
must  steal  or  starve.  I  believe  they  would  do  as  near  right  as  any  of  them  do  if  placed 
on  a  reservation.  At  present  they  stay  together  in  one  place,  willing  to  make  a  peace, 
but  in  danger  of  being  attacked  by  any  scout  that  takes  a  notion  to  go  there,  as  every 

5 


66  REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

one  in  this  section  of  the  country  knows  where  they  are,  and  the  commanding  officers 
of  all  the  posts  near  have  been  informed  of  the  fact  by  letter. 

The  position  I  am  in  is  very  unpleasant — not  being  able  to  promise  anything  to  them — 
and  they,  like  a  lot  of  children,  always  expecting  something. 

I  would  respectfully  request  that  you  lay  this  matter  before  the  department  with  the 

request  that  some  action  be  taken  immediately. 

#  *  #  *  *  ***  *  #  *  * 

I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

CHAS.  E.  DREW, 

First  Lieutenant  U.  S.  A.,  Agent  for  Southern  Apaches. 
Major  WM.  CLINTON,  U.  S.  A., 

Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs,  Santa  Fe,  N.  J/. 


Indorsement. 

OFFICE  SUPERINTENDENT  OF  INDIAN  AFFAIRS, 

Santa  Fe,  N.  M.,  December  9,  1869. 

Respectfully  forwarded  to  the  honorable  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs.  I  agree 
entirely  Avith  Lieutenant  Drew,  and  think  that  with  proper  encouragement  these 
Indians  might  be  made  to  cultivate  the  soil  instead  of  roaming  around  pillaging,  as 
necessity  compels  them  to  do  at  present. 

WM.  CLINTON, 
Major  U.  S.  A.,  Superintendent  Indian  Affairs  for  Neiv  Mexico. 


APPENDIX  N. 

HEADQUARTERS  FORT  McRAE,  N.  M.,  December  25,  1869. 

SIR  :  I  have  the  honor  to  ask  the  consideration  of  the  commanding  general  to  the 
following  statement  of  Indian  affairs,  as  relates  to  the  Apache  Indians,  now  gathered 
in  considerable  numbers  at  or  near  Alamosa,  a  Mexican  town,  twenty-eight  miles  north 
of  west  of  Fort  McRae.  These  Indians,  through  Loco,  principal  chief  of  all  the  Apaches, 
have  been  gathered  together  and  kept  near  where  they  now  are  under  the  conditions 
of  an  agreement  ,pr  treaty  made  witli  them  by  Lieutenant  Drew,  United  States  Army, 

Indian  agent,  on  the  10th  day  of  October  last. 

»*#***«*  *  * 

These  Indians,  (who)  I  believe  have  faithfully  kept  every  condition  of  the  agreement 
made  with  them,  and  evince  an  earnest  purpose  of  remaining  permanently  at  peace, 
and  upon  the  reservation  designated.  But  they  expect  the  issues  of  clothing,  blankets, 
&c.,  as  was  agreed  upon,  which  was  to  be  made  before  the  expiration  of  three  months 
from  the  time  of  treaty.  This  time  is  nearly  passed. 

•v#####**##* 

They  are  in  an  immediate  need  of  an  issue  of  blankets,  &c.,  and  I  believe  if  the  issue 
is  not  soon  made  it  will  be  impossible  to  keep  them  longer  together  and  at  peace;  they 
must  scatter,  and  as  a  necessity  revive  their  old  warfare,  a  condition  of  affairs  for  which 
I  must  think  the  government  would  now  be  responsible.  I  am  informed  by  Lieutenant 
Drew,  and  also  by  his  interpreter,  Mr.  Patterson,  a  man  of  excellent  character,  that  Loco 
assured  them  all  the  Apaches  would  come  with  him  ;  that  Cochise,  chief  of  the  Apaches 
ranging  between  Fort  Bayan  and  Tucson,  has  sent  him  word  that  if  the  government 
would  give  them  as  to  the  Navajoes,  and  protect  them,  that  he  and  all  his  warriors 
would  join  him.  This  would  secure  peace  throughout  Southern  Mexico.  I  have  visited 
these  Indians,  and  am  fully  persuaded  that  they  will  come  upon  the  reservation  and 
remain  permanently  at  peace,  if  the  conditions  of  agreement  are  complied  with  by  the 

government.    In  view  of  the  above  facts,  and  the  government  interest  at  stake,  and 
nowing  too  that  very  diverse  statements  are  made  in  relation  to  these  Indians,  by 
parties  more  or  less  interested,  and  for  the  information  of  the  district  commander,  I 
make  this  statement. 

I  am  perhaps  unwisely  trusting  these  Indians  as  at  peace  with  us,  certainly  not 
making  Avar  upon  them,  and  I  most  respectfully  ask  instructions. 
I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

GEO.  SHORKLEY, 

Captain  loth  Infantry  and  Brevet  Major  U.  S.  A.,  Commanding  Post. 
The  ACTING  ADJUTANT  GENERAL,, 

District  of  New  Mexico. 
Official : 

WILLIAM  A.  KOBBfi, 
Brevet  Major  U.  S.  A.,  A.  A.  A.  General. 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS.  67 

Indorsements. 

HEADQUARTERS  DISTRICT  OF  NEW  MEXICO, 

Santa  Fe,  3T.  M.,  January  4,  1870. 

Respectfully  forwarded  for  the  information  of  the  major  general  commanding  the 

department.  r 

Major  Clinton,  superintendent  of  Indian  affairs  for  this  Territory,  has  informed  me 

that  a  small  sum  (§2,800)  has  been  placed  at  his  disposal  by  the  Commissioner  to  be 

.expended  for  the  benefit  of  these  Indians. 

The  commanding  officer,  Fort  McRae,  has  been  furnished  with  an  official  copy  of  the 
indorsement  of  the  Adjutant  General  of  the  Army,  dated  Washington,  Decembers,  1869j 
on  a  copy  of  report  made  to  the  superintendent  of  Indian  affairs,  by  Lieutenant  Charles 
E.  Drew,  Indian  agent,  of  a  council  held  at  Fort  McRae,  New  Mexico,  October  10,  1869, 
with  the  Apache  chiefs,  Loco,  Victoria,  &c. 

It  is  probable  the  information  above  referred  to  had  not  reached  Captain  Shorkley  at 
the  time  the  within  communication  was  written. 

GEO.  W.  GETTY, 
Brevet  Major  General  Commanding. 

HEADQUARTERS  DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  MISSOURI, 

St.  Louis,  Mo.,  January  14, 1870. 

Respectfully  forwarded  for  the  information  of  the  Lieutenant  General  commanding 
the  military  division  of  the  Missouri. 

J.  M.  SCHOFIELD, 
Major  General  U.  S.  A.,  Commanding. 

HEADQUARTERS  M.  D.  MISSOURI,         « 

Chicago,  January  17,  1870. 

Respectfully  referred  headquarters  army,  for  the  information  of  Commissioner  of 
Indian  Affairs. 

P.  H.  SHERIDAN, 
Lieutenant  General. 

ADJUTANT  GENERAL'S  OFFICE, 

Washington,  January  24,  1870. 

Official  copy  respectfully  forwarded  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 

E.  D.  TOWNSEND, 

Adjutant  General. 


APPENDIX  O. 

FORT  McRAE,  NEW  MEXICO,  January  5>  1870. 

MAJOR  :  I  have  the  honor  to  make  my  monthly  report  of  the  Southern  Apache 
agency,  for  the  month  of  December,  1869.  Since  the  8th  of  November,  1869,  I  have 
been  giving  these  Indians  corn  in  small  quantities,  and  since  December  6  have  is- 
sued beef  at  the  rate  of  one-half  (or  less)  ration,  and  shall  continue  to  do  so  until  I  re- 
ceive instructions  to  the  contrary.  I  found  this  small  issue  necessary,  in  order  to  pro- 
tect these  Indians  from  great  suffering,  and,  in  some  instances,  starvation. 

I  assumed  this  responsibility,  as  it  was  the  only  way  I  could  see  to  keep  these  Indians 
together.  I  hope  my  action  will  meet  the  approval  of  the  department. 

I  hoped  to  receive  definite  instructions  in  regard  to  the  treatment  of  these  Indians 
ere  this.  Not  receiving  any,  and  construing  the  instructions  I  have  received  from  the 
department  to  warrant  me  in  using  every  legitimate  measure  at  my  command  to  bring 
about  a  permanent  peace  with  the  Southern  Apache  Indians,  is  the  reason  of  my  action 
thus  far.  I  have  been  successful  beyond  my  greatest  hopes  in  treating  with  these  Indi- 
ans, and  if  I  can  only  have  support  in  carrying  out  the  few  promises  I  have  made  them, 
I  have  no  doubt  that  these  Indians,  who  for  a  long  number  of  years  have  been  the  ter- 
ror of  this  country,  can  be  made  to  live  on  a  reservation,  and  leave  New  Mexico  in  com- 
parative peace. 

On  the  1st  instant  I  visited  the  camp  of  these  Indians  and  remained  three  days,  and 
had  talks  with  Loco,  Victore,  Salvadore,  and  the  other  principal  men  of  the  Mirubres 
and  Mogollon  Apaches.  They  seem  to  thoroughly  understand  the  feelings  of  the  gov- 
ernment, and  they  frequently  spoke  of  their  readiness  to  comply  with  all  the  require- 
ments made  of  them. 

The  most  of  the  Indians  in  my  charge  are  of  the  Mimbres  tribe,  (except  the  Mo- 
gollons,  about  forty  m  number,  under  Chastine.)  I  should  judge  the  number  to  be  over 
three  hundred,  all  recognizing  Loco  as  their  head  chief. 


68  REPORT    OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

Before  visiting  their  camp  on  the  first  instant,  I  was  informed  that  several  horses 
and  cattle  had  been  stolen  from  San  Jose",  and  that  the  citizens  accused  Loco's  people  of 
being  the  thieves.  On  my  arrival  at  the  camp  I  informed  Loco  of  the  fact.  He  de- 
nied any  knowledge  of  the  case,  and  took  measures  at  once  to  find  out  the  truth  of  the 
matter— sent  Salvadore,  a  son  of  the  chief  Mangus  Colorado,  and  ten  or  twelve  others 
to  look  for  the  trail.  On  the  following  day,  Salvadore  reported  to  me  that  he  had  fol- 
"lowed  the  trail  of  the  stolen  cattle,  and  that  he  was  convinced  that  Navajoes,  or  Mex- 
icans, stole  the  stock,  and  if  I  would  go  with  him,  or  send  some  one,  he  would  track 
them  to  their  camp,  in  order  to  show  that  the  Apaches  did  not  have  anything  to  do 
with  it.  Being  satisfied,  I  made  no  further  inquiries.  Mexican  thieves  are  continually 
stealing  from  the  citizens  along  the  Rio  Grande,  and  then  start  in  pursuit  of  the  Indi- 
ans. This  is  a  notorious  fact ;  and  time  and  again  they  have  been  exposed  in  their  vil- 
lanous  efforts  to  saddle  their  rascality  on  the  Indians.  These  thieves  hang  around  the 
camp  of  the  Indians  and  see  what  marks  and  brands  are  on  their  animals,  and  then 
claim  them  as  their  property. 

This  trick  has  been  exposed  on  two  occasions,  and  gives  me  a  great  deal  of  trouble, 
and  requires  careful  dealing  with  the  Indians,  in  order  to  keep  down  misunderstandings. 
While  on  this  subject  I  shall  state  that,  in  my  opinion,  the  Indians  in  my  charge  have 
committed  no  depredations  on  the  citizens  along  the  Rio  Grande  since  I  held  the  first 
interview  in  September  last,  and  if  any  confidence  in  their  professions  of  friendship 
can  be  taken  into  consideration,  I  cannot  doubt  but  what  they  will  comply  with  all 
their  promises.  They  certainly  have  done  so  thus  far,  and  their  anxiety  to  be  placed 
on  a  reservation  is  proof  of  their  acting  in  good  faith. 

I  cannot  too  earnestly  call  your  attention  to  the  necessity  of  doing  something  for 
these  Indians  at  once. 

In  September  last  they  promised  to  wait  until  the  10th  of  January,  1870,  for  the  gov- 
ernment to  take  some  action  in  their  case,  and  notwithstanding  many  urgent  reports  I 
have  made  on  the  subject,  I  am  yet  without  definite  instructions.  They  are  growing 
more  uneasy  and  restive  every  day.  They  ask  for  a  place  to  be  set  apart  for  them  to 
plant  and  raise  corn  and  wheat,  for  tools  to  cultivate  with,  hoes,  axes,  &c. 

Spring  is  approaching,  and  in  two  months  time  they  want  seed  and  a  chance  to  plant. 
Food  and  clothing  are  indispensable,  and  if  they  do  not  get  them  soon,  they  will  be 
compelled  to  disperse  in  small  bands  in  search  of  game. 

I  have  issued  in  small  quantities,  but  the  amount  has  been  insufficient  to  feed  them 
all.  But  with  Avhat  they  could  kill,  there,  has  been  barely  sufficient  to  support  them. 
They  have  repeatedly  informed  me  that  they  only  wished  to  be  treated  as  the  Navajoes 
are ;  with  this  they  would  be  perfectly  satisfied. 

They  are  well  posted  in  regard  to  the  Navajoes,  and  know  all  about  the  reservation  , 
system. 

Loco  informed  me  that  Cochif,  chief  of  the  Gila  Apaches,  who  is  known  to  be  the 
most  daring  robber  and  blood-thirsty  of  the  Apaches,  had  said  he  would  come  in  and 
join  him  as  soon  as  a  treaty  was  made,  but  he  wishes  to  be  satisfied  that  there  is  no 
treachery  about  it,  and  that  if  he  comes  in  will  not  be  betrayed  and  killed  as  his  peo- 
ple have  been  in  times  past. 

Loco,  thinks  that  several  thousand  Indians  could  be  got  together  in  a  few  months,  if 
they  can  have  the  assurance  that  they  will  be  cared  for,  and  furnished  clothing  and  food, 
and  implements  to  cultivate  the  soil. 

They  are  particularly  anxious  to  have  the  limits  of  the  reservation  properly  defined, 
and  to  know  that  they  are  safe  from  molestation  by  "  Posses,"  organized  under  General 
Order  No.  1,  of  which  they  seem  to  be  in  constant  dread. 

Scouting  parties  from  Chihuahua,  and  who  are  paid  a  premium  for  Indian  scalps,  are 
also  allowed  to  hunt  for  Indians  in  this  Territory.  A  party  from  Hamas,  Chihuahua, 
a  few  days  since  threatened  to  attack  these  Indians.  They  were  warned  by  General 
Mason,  commanding  Fort  Bayard,  not  to  do  so,  but  they  left  the  Minibres,  with  the 
avowed  intention  of  attacking  the  camp.  I  was  informed  of  this  by  Major  Shorkley, 
commanding  this  post,  who  received  notice  from  General  Mason,  and  I  remained  in  their 
camp  two  days  to  prevent  such  an  outrage.  It  seems  to  me  that  some  measures  should 
be  taken  at  once  to  prevent  citizens  of  another  government,  with  whom  we  are  at 
peace,  from  committing  outrages  upon  people  that  are  looked  upon  by  this  government 
as  its  wards. 

If  allowed  to  hunt  Indians  at  all  in  this  country,  they  should  be  made  to  know  that 
Indians  on  a  reservation  are  not  to  be  molested.  It  will  be  impossible  to  establish  a 
permanent  peace  with  these  Indians  if  straggling  bands  of  citizens  from  old  Mexico 
are  suffered  to  roam  through  at  will  and  attack  these  Indians  whenever  and  wherever 
found,  and  under  any  and  all  circumstances — people,  too,  who  hunt  Indians  only  for 
the  few  paltry  dollars  they  receive  for  the  scalp. 

These  people  care  not  a  straw  for  the  depredations  committed  in  this  or  any  other 
country ;  they  work  for  the  money  a  scalp  brings,  and  one  from  a  friendly  Indian  is 
worth  as  much  as  one  of  any  other.  I  call  your  attention  to  this  fact,  as  it  may  even- 
tually lead  to  an  endless  amount  of  trouble  if  allowed  to  go  on. 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS.  69 

I  cannot  close  this  report  without  again  urging  you  to  give  me  definite  instructions 
in  regard  to  these  Indians.  They  are  naked ;  how  am  I  to  clothe  them  ?  They  want 
blankets ;  where  and  how  ani  I  to  get  them  ?  They  have  nothing  to  live  on  saVe  the 
stinted  ration  I  have  given  them,  which  is  not  sufficient  to  feed  half  the  Indians  under 
niy  charge. 

Most  of  those  found  in  camp  are  women  and  children,  and  their  destitute  condition 
Should  not  fail  to  excite  the  commiseration  of  any  who  sees  them.  If  I  could  issue  to 
the  Indians  I  now  have  here,  and  who  have  been  patiently  waiting  four  months  for 
something  to  be  done  with  and  for  them,  blankets,  clothing,  and  farming  utensils,  I 
feel  safe  in  assuring  you  that  I  could  and  would  have  in  a  few  months  three  or  four 
times  as  many  as  I  now  have. 

These  Indians  are  jealous  of  the  Navajoes ;  they  think  them  better  treated  and  cared 
for  than  they  are,  and,  like  children,  they  think  they  ought  to  have  the  same  ;  and,  if 
they  do  not  get  it,  think  they  are  badly  treated,  and  suspect  they  are  being  trapped 
into  some  place  to  be  slaughtered;  treatment  of  which  they  have  had  bitter  experience 
in  time  past. 

All  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted. 

I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

CHAS.  E.  DREW, 
First  Lieutenant  United  States  Army,  Agent  Southern  Apaches. 

Major  WILLIAM  CLIXTOX,  U.  S.  A., 

Superintendent  Indian  Affairs,  Santa  Fe,  Xew  Mexico. 


OFFICE  SUPERINTENDENT  OF  IXDIAX  AFFAIRS, 

Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico,  January  13,  1870. 
Respectfully  forwarded. 

Lieutenant  Drew  was  instructed,  October  6,  1869,  to  issue  food  in  small  quantities  to 
his  Indians,  which  instructions  he  must  have  received,  as  he  quotes  the  authority  on 
his  vouchers  for  November  and  December. 

I  fully  agree  with  Lieutenant  Drew  that  these  Indians  should  be  attended  to  as  soon 
as  possible.  I  suppose  it  is  now  too  late  to  get  farming  implements  from  the  States  in 
time  to  be  of  service  for  this  year's  crop.  But  a  reservation  should  be  laid  off  for  them 
and  tools  furnished,  so  that  they  could  prepare  their  farms  for  the  next  year,  and  when 
tools  are  furnished,  I  would  recommend  that  only  such  tools  as  they  understand  work- 
ing with,  viz :  hoes,  grubbing  hoes,  axes,  and  spades,  be  furnished  them  at  present. 
Captain  Bennett,  agent  for  the  Navajoes,  complains  that  he  has  quite  a  number  of 
broken  plows,  harrows,  grain  drills,  &c.,  &c.,  which  he  can  make  no  use  of,  as  the 
Indians  do  not  understand  working  with  them. 

I  have  furnished  General  Getty  with  a  copy  of  so  much  of  this  report  as  refers  to 
Mexicans  crossing  into  our  country. 

WM.  CLINTON, 
Major  U.  S.  A.,  Supt.  of  Indian  Affairs  for  Xew  Mexico. 


APPENDIX  P.  » 

OFFICE  SUPERIXTEXDEXT  OF  IXDIAX  AFFAIRS, 

Santa  f¥,  X.  M.,  January  5,  1870. 

CTD    .**#***** 

I  would  further  state  that  a  copy  of  your  communication  of  the  92d  ultimo,  in 
which  you  inform  me  that  a  requisition  has  been  made  for  $2.500  for  the  purpose  of 
subsisting  those  Indians,  has  been  forwarded  to  Lieutenant  Drew,  with  instructions 
that  he  ascertain  for  what  prices  corn  and  beef,  the  principal  articles  they  stand  in 

need  of,  can  be  furnished  them. 

#  *  *  *.*  #  »  *  * 

These  bands  of  Indians  have  for  a  long  time  kept  the  whole  of  the  southwestern 
part  of  this  Territory,  and  also  the  southeast  part  of  Arizona,  in  a  state  of  constant 
alarm.  Cochise,  the  chief  spoken  of.  is  now  said  to  be  ranging  about  the  Apache  Pass, 
to  the  dread  of  all  who  have  to  travel  that  way. 

This  Cochise  has  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  bravest  Indians  in  the  country, 
in  short,  a.  man  Avithout  fear. 

I  am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

WM.  CLINTON, 

Major  U.  S.  A.,  Supt.  of  Indian  Affairs  for  Xew  Mexico. 
Hon.  E.  S.  PARKER, 

Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  Washington,  D.  C. 


70  REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

OFFICE  SUPERIXTEDKXT  INDIAN  AFFAIRS, 

Santa  Fe,  N.  M.,  October  6,  18(59. 

SIR  :  Your  communication  of  September  29,  1869,  has  been  received,  and  will  be  for 
warded  to  the  department  for  instructions.  I  have  not  money  sufficient  on  hand  t 
do  anything  of  any  account  for  them  in  the  way  of  clothing  them,  nor  do  I  think  it  ad 
visable  that  they  should  be  clothed  until  you  are  satisfied  that  they  intend  to  settle 
on  a  reservation. 

At  the  same  time,  I  would  issue  food  to  them  in  small  qualities,  for  which  purpose 
you  should  have  money  enough  on  hand  for  the  present,  and  you  can  make  a  requisi- 
tion for  more  should  you  stand  in  need. 

In  making  your  requisition,  you  wiH  bear  in  mind  that  the  amount  I  have  on  hand 
is  very  small. 

Very  respectfullv,  your  obedient  servant, 

WM.  CLINTON, 
Major  U.  S.  A.,  Superintendent. 
Lieut.  C.  E.  DIIEW,  U.  S.  A. 

Indian  Agent,  Fort  McEea,  N.  M. 


D. 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  June,  1869. 

GENTLEMEN:  In  compliance  with  your  request  I  take  great  pleasure 
in  submitting  for  your  consideration  the  following  views  regarding  what 
I  conceive  to  be  the  wisest  policy  that  can  be  pursued  toward  the  Indians 
at  the  present  time.  The  civilization  of  tbe  natives  is  a  subject  that  has 
engaged  the  attention  of  philanthropists  and  Christians  ever  since  the 
discovery  of  America;  yet  we  seem  to  be  to-day  nearly  as  remote  from 
an  acknowledged  satisfactory  practical  solution  of  the  question  as 
Columbus  was  when  he  landed  upon  the  island  of  San  Salvador,  three 
hundred  and  seventy-seven  years  ago.  Among  the  prominent  causes  of 
failure  in  the  efforts  that  have  from  time  to  time  been  made  to  reclaim 
the  American  savages  from  a  state  of  barbarism  may  be  mentioned  the 
salient  fact  that  no  consistent,  just,  and  benignant  national  policy  has 
ever  been  inaugurated  and  persistently  adhered  to  for  any  great  length 
of  time.  Numerous  treaties  have  been  made  with  the  different  tribes, 
and  the  negotiations  attended  by  the  observance  of  all  the  diplomatic 
forms  and  ceremonies  practiced  among  independent,  absolute  national- 
ities. In  some  instances,  however,  these  treaties,  before  they  were  rati- 
fied and  carried  into  effect,  have  been  so  altered  and  amended  as  to  very 
materially  change  their  original  signification,  and  this  without1  the  sanc- 
tion or  knowledge  of  the  Indians.  In  other  cases  the  failure  of  appro- 
priations, or  the  malfeasance  or  negligence  of  unscrupulous  or  unfaith- 
ful agents,  has  prevented  a  strict  adherence  to  treaty  stipulations,  and 
this  has,  of  course,  occasioned  dissatisfaction  among  the  Indians,  as  they 
expect  every  promise  to  be  fulfilled  to  the  letter,  and  when  this  is 
nol  done  they  regard  the  non-compliance  as  a  willful  violation  of  good 
faith  and  integrity.  No  excuse  or  explanation  of  unavoidable  accidents, 
or  delays  contravening  the  possibility  of  a  literal  fulfillment  of  a  compact, 
has  the  slightest  weight  with  them,  and  for  this  reason  no  pledges 
should  be  made  to  Indians  when  there  is  not  an  absolute  certainty  as  to 
the  power  of  executing  them. 

The  policy  adopted  toward  the  aborigines  by  the  early  colonists  of 
New  England,  Virginia,  and  Georgia  was  eminently  humane  and  praise- 
worthy, and  the  preliminary  labors  of  missionaries  among  them  were 
attended  with  results  decidedly  favorable.  Unfortunately,  however, 
the  ultimate  success  of  their  efforts  to  civilize  and  elevate  the  moral 


EEPORT   OF   THE    COMMISSION   ON   INDIAN   AFFAIRS.  71 

character  of  the  Indians  was  then,  as  has  often  been  the  case  since, 
thwarted  by  the  machinations  of  avaricious  and  designing  white  men, 
who*,  for  the  accomplishment  of  their  own  selfish  purposes,  have  incul- 
cated and  practiced  among  these  simple-minded  children  of  the  forest 
all  the  vices  that  disgrace  civilized  society ;  and  these  baneful  adverse 
influences  have  generally  preponderated  over  the  teachings  of  better 
men,  and  the  Indians  have  retrograded  upon  the  scale  of  human  progress 
to  a  position  far  beneath  that  which  they  occupied  before  they  came  in 
contact  with  the  pale  faces. 

A  wide  diversity  of  opinion  exists  among  the  masses  of  the  thinking- 
people  of  the  United  States  at  the  present  day  in  regard  to  the  wisest 
course  to  be  pursued  by  the  government  toward  the  prairie  tribes. 
That  these  merciless  freebooters  have  often  made  war  upon  our  people 
without  any  sufficient  cause  and  have  cost  us  many  valuable  lives 
and  a  great  expenditure  of  public  money  during  the  past  three  years, 
is  unquestionable.  Those  who  have  come  in  contact  with  them  and 
suffered  from  their  lawless  and  diabolical  propensities  very  naturally 
entertain  feelings  of  implacable  hostility  towards  them  and  advocate  a 
war  of  extermination  as  the  only  effectual  means  of  settling  the  perplex- 
ing question,  while  the  benignant  impulses  of  others  who  have  but  little 
knowledge  of  the  idiosyncratic  nature  of  these  particular  tribes  dictate 
the  more  benevolent  and  conciliatory  policy  of  purchasing  their  good 
will  with  annuities  and  presents.  The  exclusive  adoption  of  either  policy 
is,  in  my  judgment,  unwise  and  inadequate  to  meet  the  present  exigency 
of  the  crisis. 

It  is  probable  that  we  might  in  time,  with  a  large  force  and  a  heavy 
augmentation  to  our  already  gigantic  pecuniary  national  liabilities,  an- 
nihilate the  Indians ;  but  this  would  be  a  slow  process,  as  they  are  inured 
to  war  and  are  familiar  with  all  the  arts  and  subterfuges  necessary  to 
prosecute  a  successful  partisan  campaign,  and  with  their  numerous  fleet 
and  enduring  horses  they  are  at  all  times,  except  in  winter,  enabled  to 
elude  pursuit  upon  the  vast  expanse  of  the  great  prairies,  every  inch  of 
which  is  familiar  to  them.  Moreover  they  are  well  supplied  with  fire- 
arms and  ammunition,  so  that  the  discrepancy  between  them  and  our 
soldiers  is  nothing  like  as  great  now  as  it  was  when  their  only  weapons 
were  the  bow  and  arrow  and  the  lance.  To  act  against  an  enemy  who 
is  here  to-day  and  far  distant  to-morrow  5  who  at  one  time  stampedes  a 
herd  of  animals  upon  the  head-waters  of  the  Arkansas,  and  when  next 
heard  from  is  in  the  very  heart  of  the  populated  districts  of  Mexico,  lay- 
ing waste  haciendas  and  carrying  devastation,  rapine,  and  murder  in 
his  steps ;  who  leaves  his  women  and  children  concealed  in  a  locality 
far  distant  from  the  theater  of  hostilities,  and  has  neither  depots  nor 
magazines  to  defend,  nor  lines  of  retreat  to  cover ;  who  draws  his  rations 
and  clothing  from  the  country  he  operates  in,  and  is  not  incumbered 
with  a  noisy  moving  town  on  wheels,  in  the  shape  of  a  baggage-train ; 
who  never  comes  into  action  without  the  advantage  of  numbers  or  posi- 
tion, and  disperses  and  vanishes  whenever  the  issue  of  a  battle  is  against 
him;  and  who,  under  a  preconcerted  arrangement,  assembles  again  at  a 
point  far  distant — with  such  an  enemy  extermination  would  be  a  slow 
and  exhausting  process,  exceedingly  difficult  of  execution. 

The  humane  peace  policy  would,  in  my  opinion,  be  equally  inadequate 
to  accomplish  the  object  desired,  provided  no  other  means  were  adopted 
but  that  of  giving  annuities  and  presents ;  for  so  long  as  the  Indians  are 
permitted  to  lead  a  roving  life  they  will,  whenever  game  fails  to  afford 
them  sustenance,  be  cojnpelled  to  steal  or  take  from  their  neighbors. 
This  policy  has  been  thoroughly  tested  during  the  past  twenty  years, 


72  REPORT    OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

but  has  not  thus  far  been  attended  with  anything  like  satisfactory  re- 
sults. The  Indians  of  the  plains  do  not  seem  to  have  the  most  distant 
conception  of  the  sentiment  of  gratitude,  and  appear  unable  to  compre- 
hend the  motive  which  inspires  an  act  of  benevolence  or  charity,  and 
they  (unlike  their  brethren  who  once  occupied  the  eastern  States,  who 
were  said  to  have  been  grateful  for  favors  received)  invariably  attribute 
it  to  fear  or  the  expectation  of  reward.  When  they  make  a  present  it 
is  with  a  view  of  getting  more  than  its  equivalent  in  return.  The  Indian 
practice  of  giving  and  receiving  presents,  as  well  as  their  diplomatic 
attributes,  do  not  seem  to  have  undergone  any  great  changes  from  the 
customs  of  their  ancestors.  When  William  Penn  arrived  among  the 
Indians  living  upon  the  present  site  of  Philadelphia,  he  wrote  a  letter  to 
his  friend,  Robert  Boyle,  in  which  this  paragraph  occurs :  "In  treaties 
about  land  or  traffic  I  find  them  (the  Indians)  deliberative  in  council,  and 
as  designing  as  I  have  ever  observed  among  the  politest  of  our  Euro- 
peans. 1  have  bought  two  large  tracts,  and  had  two  presented  to  me, 
which  cost  me  alike."  D'Iberville,  the  first  governor  of  Louisiana,  in 
1702,  in  a  manuscript  memorial  on  the  subject  of  Indian  policy,  the 
original  of  which  is  in  the  archives  at  Paris,  says:  "It  is  imprudent  to 
accustom  the  savages  to  be  spoken  to  by  presents,  for,  with  os  many,  it 
would  cost  the  King  more  than  the  revenue  derived  from  the  trade. 
When  they  come  to  us  it  will  be  necessary  to  bring  them  to  subjection, 
make  them  no  presents,  compel  them  to  do  as  we  wish,  as  if  they  were 
Frenchmen." 

In  my  humble  judgment,  the  practice  which  has  existed  for  many 
years  of  licensing  white  traders,  who  for  the  most  part  are  of  the  most 
dissolute  and  unscrupulous  order  of  humanity,  is  unwise  in  the  extreme, 
for  the  reason  that  they  exercise  a  most  pernicious  and  controlling 
influence  over  the  savages.  They  sell  them  whisky,  debauch  their 
women,  furnish  hostile  tribes  with  arms  and  ammunition,  and  all  their 
energies  are  exerted  to  perpetuate  their  traffic,  which  would  be  so  dimin- 
ished as  to  become  unprofitable  if  the  Indians  had  fixed  habitations  and 
cultivated  the  soil.  D'Iberville  wrote  to  the  authorities  in  Paris  in  1702 : 
"  'No  Frenchmen  (traders)  should  be  allowed  to  follow  Indians  on  their 
hunts,  as  it  tends  to  keep  them  hunters,  as  is  seen  in  Canada,  and  when 
they  are  in  the  woods  they  do  not  desire  to  become  tillers  of  the  soil." 
A  very  powerful  influence  has,  without  doubt,  been  wielded  by  Indian 
traders  for  many  years  past,  but  it  has  only  been  about  forty  years  since 
their  claims  against  the  Indians  for  goods  sold  them  have  been  recog- 
nized or  provided  for  in  treaties. 

On  the  7th  day  of  December,  1835,  a  conversation  took  place  at  Fort 
Snelling  between  the  commanding  officer  and  the  Sioux  agent,  (a  very 
excellent  and  honest  man,  by  the  by,)  which  goes  to  show  that  the 
traders  were  not  without  influence  in  those  days.  Speaking  as  to  the 
probabilities  of  a  new  treaty  being  made,  the  agent  said:  "I  do  not 
know  but  such  a  treaty  might  take  place.  It  is  desirable  on  the  part  of 
the  traders  of  the  American  Fur  Company  that  a  treaty  should  be  had 
with  the  Sioux.  The  treaty  of  1830  first  indicated  a  disposition  to 
cause  the  United  States  to  pay  for  lost  credits.  I  then  defeated  their 
object;  for  I  view  the  allowance  of  all  such  claims  as  a  fraud  committed 
upon  the  treasury,  although  legalized  by  a  treaty.  The  company  are 
much  opposed  to  me  on  this  ground  and  fear  me,  and  would  be  glad  to 
have  me  out  of  the  country.  I  know  too  much,  and  they  are  fully  aware 
of  my  independence.  I  am  determined  at  some  future  day  to  address 
the  President.  He  abhors  iniquity  and  deception,  and  he  will  protect 
me." 


REPORT   OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN   AFFAIRS.  73 

General  Z.  Taylor,  who  served  a  long  time  upon  the  western  frontier, 
and  saw  a  good  deal  of  Indian  traders,  did  not  entertain  a  very  exalted 
opinion  of  their  morals.  In  the  year  1830  he  was  one  of  the  commis- 
sioners for  making  a  treaty  with  the  Indians  at  Prairie  du  Chien.  For 
some  reason  the  traders  interposed  such  obstacles  to  the  consummation 
of  the  proceedings,  that  the  general,  in  a  letter  written  at  that  time, 
said:  "Take  the  American  Fur  Company  in  the  aggregate,  and  they 
are  the  greatest  scoundrels  the  world  ever  knew." 

But  to  return  to  the  subject  of  the  prairie  Indians.  Until  within  a 
few  years  the  Comanches,  Kiowas,  Cheyennes,  a  portion  of  the  Sioux, 
and  other  nomadic  tribes,  have  lived  exclusively  on  buffalo  meat,  many 
of  them  never  having  tasted  bread  in  their  lives,  and  up  to  this  very 
day  not  one  of  them  ever  planted  a  seed.  Thirty  years  ago  they 
roamed  at  will  over  all  that  vast  district  of  country  lying  between  the 
eastern  base  of  the  Eocky  Mountains  and  the  Missouri  Eiver,  and  it 
was  only  at  rare  intervals  that  they  came  in  contact  with  a  white  man. 
The  few  white  men  who  crossed  the  plains  were  traders,  trappers,  or 
adventurers,  not  sufficiently  numerous  to  molest  the  game  or  otherwise 
disturb  the  Indians,  who  for  the  most  part  continued  peaceable  and 
well  disposed.  The  condition  of  Indian  affairs  is,  however,  very  differ- 
ent now.  Eich  gold  and  silver  mines  have  been  discovered  and  devel- 
oped within  the  last  two  decades.  Towns,  Territories,  and  States  have, 
like  mushrooms,  sprung  up  throughout  our  vast  mountain  ranges,  and 
the  hunting  grounds  of  the  Indians  have  been  encroached  upon  and  in- 
tersected in  every  direction  by  numerous  roads  that  are  annually  trav- 
ersed by  thousands  of  immigrants,  who  kill  and  disperse  the  buffalo 
and  come  into  continual  conflict  with  the  savages.  Hence  the  Indians 
have  learned  to  look  upon  us  as  enemies  who  are  crowding  them  on  all 
sides,  and  depriving  them  of  their  means  of  subsistence,  and  war  to  the 
knife  has  been  the  result. 

I  do  not  for  a  moment  suppose  that  the  itinerant  warlike  propensities 
of  the  prairie  tribes  can  at  once  be  eradicated,  and  a  disposition  for 
peafteful  agricultural  avocations  substituted  therefor.  Their  instincts, 
education,  and  habits  of  life,  from  time  immemorial,  have  been  in  direct 
antagonism  to  those  of  civilized  peoples.  Predatory  warfare,  with  its 
concomitants  of  horse-stealing,  kidnapping,  pillaging,  assassination, 
scalping,  and  other  barbarities,  instigated  by  their  savage  nature,  and 
sanctioned  and  commended  by  their  moral  code,  has  been  carried  on  for 
too  many  generations  to  render  it  probable  that  they  will  at  once  lay  it 
aside  and  adopt  our  ideas  and  customs.  It  can  scarcely  be  expected 
that  the  young  men  of  the  present  generation,  who  from  infancy  have 
been  taught  to  believe  that  war  is  the  only  honorable  profession,  and 
that  the  occupation  of  a  farmer  is  degrading  in  the  extreme,  should 
ever  be  prevailed  upon  to  work  in  the  field  and  become  husbandmen. 
On  the  contrary,  it  is  presumed  that  when  their  tribes  are  placed  on 
reservations  they  will  often  steal  away  on  war  or  raiding  expeditions  in 
spite  of  all  the  efforts  of  our  authorities.  Indeed,  such  has  already 
been  the  case  with  some  of  the  Indians  who  were  located  south  of  the 
Arkansas.  They  have  committed  depredations  in  Kansas,  and  this  fact 
has  been  adduced  by  the  enemies  of  the  colonization  scheme  to  prove  the 
experiment  a  failure ;  whereas,  in  my  judgment,  this  is  nothing  more 
than  what  might  have  been  expected ;  and  I  believe  that  with  the  as- 
sistance and  encouragement  it  will  be  in  the  power  of  the  government 
to  afford  these  people,  the  women  and  children,  who  are  industrious  and 
capable  of  performing  a  great  amount  of  labor,  can  be  induced  to  work 
in  the  field,  and  after  two  or  three  crops  have  been  raised  they  will  per- 


74  REPORT    OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

eeive  that  their  condition  is  so  much  improved  that  it  does  not  seem  un- 
reasonable to  predict  that  the  next  generation  of  men  will  prefer  the 
certain  and  abundant  products  of  agriculture  to  the  precarious  and 
meager  results  of  the  chase. 

The  prairie  Indians  having  recently  felt  the  power  of  the  govern- 
ment and  received  a  sound  chastisement  from  Generals  Sheridan  and 
Ouster,  will  not  be  likely  to  forget  it  soon,  and  the  majority  of  them  will 
probably  be  glad  in  future  to  remain  upon  their  reservations.  As  a 
check  upon  the  lawless  propensities  of  refractory  young  warriors  the 
chiefs  should  be  held  responsible  for  all  the  acts  of  their  followers,  and 
when  any  of  them  commit  depredations  they  should  be  required  to  give 
up  the  perpetrators  to  our  authorities  to  be  dealt  with  according  to  law. 
Many  persons  are  fully  impressed  with  the  honest  conviction  that  the 
Prairie  Indians  cannot  be  civilized,  but  this  I  believe  to  be  fallacious, 
as  will  be  apparent  from  an  experiment  that  was  tried  some  years  since 
with  the  southern  Comanches. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  when  the  republic  of  Texas  was  annexed 
to  the  Union  the  State  was  permitted  to  reserve  the'  exclusive  proprie- 
tary tenure  and  control  over  all  the  vacant  domain  within  her  extended 
boundaries.  In  1853,  the  legislature  of  the  State  appropriated  a  small 
fraction  of  this  land  in  perpetuity  for  the  colonization  and  use  of  the  In- 
dians upon  her  borders,  authorizing  the  United  States  authorities  to  lo- 
cate this  land  upon  any  part  of  her  vacant  territory.  In  accordance 
therewith  I  was  ordered,  in  1854,  to  select  and -survey  the  reservations, 
one  of  which  was  located  on  the  Clear  Fork  of  the  Brazos  Eiver,  and 
was  designed  for  two  bands  of  the  southern  Comanches,  known  as 
Senaco's  and  Kelumsee's  bands.  The  greater  part  of  those  Indians 
went  upon  the  laud,  and  an  excellent  agent,  (Major  Neighbors,)  who  had 
their  welfare  at  heart,  was  appointed  to  take  charge  of  them.  Farmers 
and  mechanics,  with  all  the  cattle,  agricultural  implements  and  tools 
necessary  for  instructing  them  in  the  rudiments  of  husbandry,  were  lib- 
erally supplied  by  the  government,  and  they  were  assured  that  this  lo- 
cality would  be  their  permanent  home  for  all  time. 

Up  to  that  period  they  had  been  exclusively  a  hunting  people,  having 
never  raised  a  crop  or  even  put  a  seed  in  the  ground ;  yet  they  mani- 
fested a  perfect  willingness  to  try  the  colonizing  experiment,  and  cheer- 
fully submitted*  to  their  new  manner  of  living.  Their  women  and  chil- 
dren and  some  few  of  the  men  worked  well,  and  under  the  teachings  of 
the  farmers  they  made  commendable  progress,  so  that  in  the  course  of 
two  years  they  fenced  and  cultivated  very  respectable  little  farms  and 
were  in  a  fair  way  of  speedily  becoming  self-sustaining.  Moreover,  they 
seemed  to  be  gradually  acquiring  an  attachment  to  their  novel  method 
of  life,  and  encouraging  hopes  were  entertained  that  they  would  ulti- 
mately become  civilized ;  but,  unfortunately  for  the  successful  consum- 
mation of  the  experiment,  some  of  those  numerous  outlaws  on  the  west- 
ern borders  of  Texas  happened  to  get  their  eyes  upon  the  improvements, 
and  believing  it  an  object  to  acquire  possession  of  them,  they  levied  a 
large  force  of  their  confederates,  marched  in  the  night  to  the  reserva- 
tion, and  without  the  slightest  provocation  or  excuse  made  a  sudden  de- 
scent upon  the  unsuspecting  and  unarmed  Comanches  and  indiscrimi- 
nately slaughtered  a  large  number  of  men,  women,  and  children.  Those 
that  succeeded  in  making  their  escape  wandered  off  into  the  plains  with 
the  firm  conviction  that  the  entire  white  race  wras  treacherous  and  in- 
imical toward  them,  and  as  a  necessity  they  resumed  their  nomadic 
life  and  commenced  a  retaliatory  war  upon  our  people,  so  that  the  col- 
onizing scheme  had  to  be  abandoned  with  them.  I  understood  that 


KEPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    OX    INDIAN    AFFAIRS.  75 

their  lands  and  improvements  were  seized  by  the  filibusters,  and,  for 
aught  I  know,  they  may  still  have  possession  of  them.  Major  Neigh- 
bors, who  unhesitatingly  gave  expression  to  his  opinion  regarding  the 
turpitude  of  the  proceedings,  was  a  short  time  afterwards  inhumanly 
murdered  by  one  of  the  cowardly  gang,  who  shot  him  in  the  back,  but 
was,  of  course,  never  punished  for  it. 

Where  the  Indians  have  been  allowed  to  occupy  their  lands  per- 
manently, as  in  the  cases  of  the  Choctaws,  Chickasaws,  Cherokees,  and 
Creeks,  the  most  satisfactory  results  have  been  obtained.  These  tribes, 
through  the  persistent  and  continued  efforts  of  the  government  authori- 
ties and  the  missionaries,  have  gradually  cast  off  the  habits  of  the  hun- 
ter and  adopted  those  of  the  agriculturist,  so  that  now  we  find  them  oc- 
cupying comfortable  habitations,  and  possessing  well-tilled  grain  fields, 
with  horses,  cattle,  sheep,  and  hogs,  more  than  sufficient  to  supply  all 
their  necessities.  They  also  have  churches  and  schools,  that  are  well 
attended,  and  they  have  adopted  a  form  of  government  similar  to  that 
of  the  United  States. 

They  elect  their  presidents  or  chiefs  periodically,  hold  their  legislative 
and  court  sessions  as  regularly  as  with  us,  and  previous  to  the  rebellion 
were  eminently  prosperous  and  increasing  in  numbers.  Indeed,  their 
condition,  both  politically  and  socially,  would  bear  favorable  comparison 
with  that  of  the  white  settlers  upon  the  borders  of  Texas  and  Arkansas, 
and  laws  were  more  respected  and  better  enforced  among  these  people 
than  they  were  among  their  white  neighbors.  These  gratifying  results 
have  been  mainly  brought  about,  as  I  remarked  before,  through  the 
agency  of  a  few  zealous  and  good  men,  who  have  labored  faithfully 
among  the  Indians  for  many  years,  and  taught  them,  besides  agricul- 
ture and  the  arts,  to  reverence  the  principles  inculcated  by  our  holy  re- 
ligion. Some  of  them  are  educated  and  accomplished  men  and  wealthy 
planters,  and  a  few  of  them  are  ministers  of  the  gospel. 

I  have  mentioned  these  facts  somewhat  in  detail,  in  order  to  show  the 
fallacy  of  the  opinion  entertained  by  many  that  the  wild  Indian  is  in- 
capable of  being  civilized.  The  time  must  soon  come  when  game  will 
fail  to  afford  subsistence  to  the  nomadic  tribes  of  Indians,  and,  as  they 
have  no  knowledge  of  agriculture,  they  will  soon  be,  unless  the  govern- 
ment provides  for  them,  forced  to  the  alternative  of  depredating  upon 
the  border  white  settlements  or  dying  of  starvation.  The  government 
will  soon  be  driven  to  the  necessity  either  of  making  continual  warfare 
upon  them  until  they  are  exterminated,  feeding  them  perpetually,  or  of 
placing  them  upon  reservations  and  teaching  them  to  till  the  soil,  and 
thus  in  time  enabling  them  to  become  self-sustaining. 

The  disposal  of  these  people  in  such  a  manner  as  to  afford  a  reason- 
able guarantee  for  permanent  security,  both  to  the  white  man  and  Indian, 
is  a  problem  that  has  engaged  the  attention  of  both  our  civil  and  mili- 
tary authorities  for  many  years,  ancl  numerous  experiments  have  been 
resorted  to  in  colonizing  them  on  reservations  of  public  lands,  and 
attempting  to  instruct  them  in  the  rudiments  of  agriculture;  but,  for 
the  reasons  that  have  already  been  stated,  and  for  the  additional  reason 
that  they  have,  in  most  instances,  only  been  allowed  to  occupy  these 
reservations  for  a  few  years,  after  which  they  have  been  forced  further 
and  further  back  until  they  ceased  to  take  much  interest  in  the  lands 
allotted  them,  and  returned  to  their  roving  habits,  the  experiments  have, 
in  many  instances,  proved  abortive.  To  insure  success  in  civilizing  wild 
Indians,  I  regard  it  as  absolutely  essential  that  they  should  have  per- 
manent locations  which  they  can  call  their  own,  and  in  the  possession  of 
which  they  should  be  protected  by  the  government  from  molestation 


76  REPORT   OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

by  designing  and  unprincipled  border  white  men ;  and  this  can  best  be 
accomplished  in  a  region  of  country  that  the  military  authorities  can 
control,  which  is  not  frequented  by  the  whites,  and  as  far  removed  as 
possible  from  the  great  routes  of  travel  over  the  plains.  Another  con- 
dition indispensable  to  a  good  Indian  reservation  is,  that  it  should  be 
suited  to  agriculture.  All  the  arable  lands  west  of  the  Missouri  Eiver, 
in  the  direction  of  New  Mexico,  Colorado,  and  Montana,  through  which 
the  tide  of  immigration  to  the  mineral  districts  is  annually  setting,  is 
rapidly  being  taken  up  and  cultivated  by  our  adventurous  pioneers,  and 
there  is  no  suitable  resting  place  in  this  direction  for  the  Indians.  If 
they  were  located  anywhere  in  this  section  of  country,  they  would,  there- 
fore, be  in  continual  conflict  with  the  white  settlers,  and  would  soon 
have  to  be  removed  somewhere  else,  so  that  we  should  only  gain  a  tem- 
porary respite  from  the  difficulties  that  now  confront  us  with  some  of 
the  tribes. 

One  example,  wrhich  has  come  under  my  own  observation,  will  suffice 
to  show  the  unwise  policy  of  establishing  Indian  reservations  on  the 
track  of  immigration  and  settlement.  When  I  first  visited  Wisconsin,  in 
1833',  the  Winuebago  Indians  were  located  in. the  country  surrounding 
Fort  Winuebago,  where  they  had  lived  for  generations  in  prosperity  and 
happiness.  Soon  after  this  that  section  was  wanted  for  the  extension 
of  our  white  settlements,  and  the  Indian  chiefs  were  invited  to  visit 
Washington.  Believing  that  the  motive  was  to  prevail  upon  them  to 
sell  their  lands,  they  at  first  objected  to  going.  They  were  answered,  as 
I  was  informed,  that  no  such  purpose  was  contemplated,  and  that  they 
would  not  be  asked  to  dispose  of  their  country.  Upon  this  pledge  some 
of  the  minor  chiefs  were  prevailed  upon  to  accept  the  invitation,  but  the 
greater  part  of  the  principal  men  remained  at  home.  When  the  delega- 
tion reached  the  capital  they  were  at  once  importuned  to  dispose  of  their 
lands,  but  they  declined  upon  the  ground  that  they  had  no  authority  for 
negotiating  a  treaty ;  on  the  contrary,  that  they  were  specially  instructed 
by  the  tribe  before  they  left  home  to  make  no  treaties  whatever.  Not- 
withstanding this,  they  were  detained  at  Washington  a  long  time,  until 
at  length  they  became  so  homesick,  and  so  anxious  to  return  to  their 
people,  that  in  order  to  get  away  they  were  finally  induced  to  sign  a 
treaty  disposing  of  their  reservation,  and  although  the  compact  never 
received  the  sanction  of  the  tribe,  they  were  held  to  it,  and  under  its 
stipulations  were  removed  to  Turkey  Kiver,  fifty  miles  west  of  Prairie  du 
Chien,  and  this  they  were  assured  would  be  their  permanent  abiding 
place  for  all  time.  Although  the  arrangement  was  far  from  being  satis- 
factory to  the  majority  of  the  tribe,  yet  there  was  no  alternative  but  to 
submit,  and  they  went  to  work  improving  their  new  homes,  not  antici- 
pating any  further  molestation ;  but  to  their  astonishment,  they  were 
soon  encroached  upon  here  by  the  white  pioneers,  and  were  again  forced 
to  remove  to  Minnesota  under  a  new  treaty. 

In  a  few  years  another  treaty  was  brought  about  with  them,  and  a 
third  removal  ensued  to  a  different  part  of  Minnesota,  and  similar  causes 
operating  there  shortly  afterwards,  caused  them  to  be  removed  to  a 
reservation  on  the  Upper  Missouri,  above  Fort  Kandall,  where  game 
was  scarce,  and  where  the  soil  was  so  arid  and  barren  that  but  little 
grain  could  be  cultivated,  and  it  became  necessary  to  subsist  them  from 
day  to  day  upon  rations  issued  by  the  government.  The  consequence 
was  that  the  Indians  soon  became  dissatisfied,  and  many  of  them  deserted 
the  reservation  and  scattered  in  small  parties  over  the  country,  search- 
ing for  spots  where  they  could  cultivate  corn  and  find  game. 

The  course  that  has  been  pursued  toward  these  Indians,  and  which 


REPOET    OF    THE    COMMISSION    OX    INDIAN    AFFAIRS.  77 

may  have  been  the  result  of  circumstances  •without  the  control  of  the 
government,  has  proved  most  disastrous  to  them,  causing  such  a  rapid* 
diminution  in  their  numbers  that  there  is  now  only  a  miserable  reinnanfr 
of  half-starved  beggars  remaining.  The  history  of  the  Winnebagoes 
presents  a  correct  type  to  that  of  many  other  tribes  which  were  once 
numerous  and  powerful,  but  which,  from  similar  causes,  are  now  almost 
totally  annihilated.  The  contrast  between  the  present  condition  of  the 
remnants  of  tribes  that  formerly  lived  in  the  Eastern  States  and  that  of 
the  Indians  I  have  alluded  to  west  of  Arkansas  is  most  striking,  apd 
affords  a  key  to  the  solution  of  the  troublesome  question  as  to  the  wisest 
policy  to  be  pursued  toward  the  red  man. 

As  I  said  before,  the  insurmountable  difficulty  we  have  heretofore  en- 
countered in  carrying  out  the  colonizing  policy,  has  resulted  from  the 
fact  that  the  Indian  reservations  have  been  required  for  the  extension 
of  our  white  settlements,  and  the  Indians  have  been  forced  to  give  way ; 
but  if  a  section  of  country  can  be  found  where  the  white  settlers  would 
not  be  likely  to  intrude*  and  which  possessed  the  requisites  that  have 
been  mentioned,  that,  it  seems  to  me,  would  be  the  place  to  locate  the 
prairie  Indians.  On  the  30th  of  September,  1830,  a  treaty  was  entered 
into  with  the  Choctaw  tribe,  wherein  the  United  States  ceded  to  them 
all  that  vast  tract  of  territory  included  between  the  Canadian  and  Red 
Rivers,  extending  from  the  western  boundary  of  Arkansas  to  the  100th 
meridian  of  west  longitude,  embracing  an  area  of  about  30,000  square 
miles,  and  equal  in  extent  to  the  entire  area  of  the  States  of  Vermont, 
Massachusetts,  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island,  and  more  than  a  square 
mile  for  each  and  every  man,  woman,  and  child  in  the  Choctaw  and 
Chickasaw  nations.  The  Choctaws  a  few  years  since  ceded  to  their 
neighbors,  the  Chickasaws,  a  portion  of  the  southeastern  part  of  their 
reservation,  but  these  two  tribes  only  occupy  the  eastern  borders  of 
the  tract,  their  sparsely  populated  district  not  extending  much  beyond  the 
ninety-sixth  meridian  of  longitude,  thus  leaving  some  twenty  thousand 
square  miles  of  territory  which  they  have  no  use  for,  and  which  they  have 
leased  to  the  United  States  for  the  colonization  of  other  tribes,  and  it  is 
upon  this  tract  that  our  authorities  have  recently  placed  the  Comanches, 
Kiowas,  Cheyennes,  and  Arapahoes.  The  tract  embraces  the  Wichita 
Mountain  range,  which  is  about  forty  miles  in  length,  and  intersected 
with  many  fertile  valleys,  abounding  in  excellent  wood,  water  and 
grass.  Besides  this  there  is  a  great  extent  of  other  desirable  farming 
lands,  which  are  elevated  and  gently  undulating,  interspersed  with 
prairie  and  timbered  lauds,  and  bountifully  supplied  with  streams  of 
pure  spring  water.  The  soil  here  is  exceedingly  rich  and  productive, 
and  everywhere  covered  with  a  heavy  coating  of  rich  nutritious  grass, 
admirably  adapted  to  stock  raising  and  the  culture  of  cereals.  The 
climate  is  highly  salubrious  and  eminently  calculated  to  promote  the 
health  of  laborers.  , 

The  original  Choctaw  reservation  embraced  nearly  all  the  arable  lands 
lying  between  the  Red  and  Canadian  Rivers.  West  of  this  the  country  is 
arid,  barren,  and  almost  destitute  of  woodland.  The  available  portion 
of  the  reservation  will  be  ample  for  all  the  tribes  that  are  now  being 
collected  upon  it,  and  probably  sufficient  in  extent  also  for  the  numer- 
ous bauds  of  Sioux  in  the  country  bordering  the  Upper  Missouri,  should 
that  section  prove  unsuitable  for  agriculture.  In  my  opinion,  the  ex- 
treme aridity  of  the  soil  upon  the  waters  of  the  Upper  Missouri,  with  the 
destruction  to  vegetation  resulting  from  the  annual  raids  of  innumerable 
»  multitudes  of  grasshoppers  that  have  swept  over  that  'entire  section  for 
the  past  four  years,  will  render  this  anything  but  a  desirable  agricul- 


78  REPORT    OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

tural  locality.  E ver y  vesti  ge  of  a  crop  for  fifteen  hun  dred  miles  over  which 
I  traveled  last  summer  in  the  Sioux  country,  including  the  settlements 
along  Red  Eiver,  in  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  territory,  had  been 
devoured  by  grasshoppers.  The  portion  of  the  Choctaw  reservation  set 
apart  for  the  wild  tribes  does  not  lie  in  the  track  of  immigration,  as  upon 
the  south  and  west  it  juts  up  to  the  border  of  the  great  American  desert 
of  the  Llano  Estacado,  over  which  roads  cannot  be  made  on  account  of 
the  entire  absence  of  wood  or  water,  so  that  all  travel  from  the  east 
toward  the  mining  districts,  and  California,  must  of  necessity  deflect  to 
tbte  north  or  south  of  this.  The  consequence  is  that  there  is  not  a  road 
passing  over  it  west  of  Fort  Washita  that  is  traveled  by  white  men 
except  for  military  and  Indian  purposes.  Hence  you  will  perceive  that 
Indians  located  upon  this  tract  will  be  removed  from  contiguity  with 
the  border  white  settlements,  away  from  the  great  overland  thorough- 
fares, and  with  an  intermediate  connecting  link  of  civilized  Indians  who 
are  friendly  to  both  races,  and  whose  prosperous  condition  and  example 
would  doubtless  have  a  good  influence  upon  th«  wild  tribes,  exhibiting 
most  clearly  to  them  the  great  benefits  to  be  derived  from  husbandry 
and  the  culture  of  the  arts  of  civilization. 

Until  the  Indians  are  taught  the  rudiments  of  agriculture  they  will,  of 
course,  have  to  be  subsisted  by  the  United  States;  but  in  the  section  of 
country  under  consideration,  corn  and  beef  are  cheap,  and  when  it  cannot 
be  procured  from  the  civilized  Indians  it  can  be  had  at  low  rates  in 
Arkansas  and  Texas,  and  transported  during  the  high  stages  of  water 
up  Eed  Eiver  to  near  the  reservation. 

In  conclusion,  I  remark  that,  in  my  humble  judgment,  the  system  of 
Indian  affairs  as  recently  inaugurated  by  the  government  will,  if  carried 
out  and  perpetuated  in  the  same  benevolent  spirit  that  it  was  conceived, 
result  in  more  lasting  benefits  to  the  red  men  than  anything  that  has 
ever  before  been  done  for  them,  and  I  believe  that  the  appointment  of 
agents  from  the  philanthropic  disciples  of  William  Penn,  who,  ever  since 
the  first  treaty  with  the  Indians  at  Philadelphia,  have  maintained  the 
kindest  disposition  toward  them,  will  prove  eminently  wise.  Even  the 
wildest  Indians  possess  as  keen  an  appreciation  of  right  and  wrong  as 
any  other  people,  and  they  understand  perfectly  well  that  they  have 
often  been  defrauded  by  dishonest  agents,  and  this  knowledge  has  con- 
tributed more  than  all  otHer  causes  combined  to  destroy  their  confidence 
in  our  authorities,  as  well  as  to  incite  them  to  hostilities;  and  if  the 
"Friends"  pursue  their  usual  just  and  honorable  course  in  their  dealings 
with  the  Indians  it  will  doubtless  tend  greatly  toward  the  restoration 
of  confidence,  harmony,  and  good  feeling.  Payments  of  annuities  and 
distribution  of  presents  were,  previous  to  1849,  made  to  the  Indians  by 
army  officers,  and  I  have  yet  to  learn  of  the  first  complaint  having  been 
made  by  the  Indians  against  them,  or  of  the  first  dollar  ever  having  been 
withheld  from  the  Indians ;  and  it  was  rare  in  those  days  that  we  had  any 
trouble  with  them,  and  in  those  instances  the  difficulties  invariably 
grew  out  of  their  hostility  to  being  removed  upon  new  reservations.  Do 
not  these  facts  afford  a  cogent  argument  in  support  of  the  wisdom  of 
returning  to  the  old  system  of  disbursements,  with  a  reasonable  guarantee 
for  future  fair  dealing  ? 

The  Choctaws,  Chickasaws,  and  Cherokees,  who  have  evinced  a  desire 
to  aid  in  the  work  of  civilizing  their  untutored  brethren  of  the  plains, 
might  be  able  to  render  very  efficient  service  as  farmers  and  instructors 
in  husbandry.  If  the  white  missionaries,  instead  of  searching  for  heathen 
in  foreign  lands,  would  practice  the  maxim  that  "charity  begins  at 
home,"  and  turn  a  greater  portion  of  their  attention  to  the  savages  on 


REPORT   OF   THE   COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN  AFFAIRS.  79 

the  prairies,  who,  up  to  this  moment  (with  the  exception  of  some  of  the 
Sioux)  have  not  the  remotest  conception  of  the  first  principles  of  the 
Christian  religion,  they  might,  in  co-operation  with  good  agents  and 
farmers,  accomplish  important  results.  The  zealous  and  disinterested 
labors  of  Father  De  Schmidt  among  the  tribes  about  the  head- waters 
of  the  Columbia  and  Missouri  Eivers,  and  the  successful  results  of  the 
efforts  of  the  Protestant  missionaries  with  more  eastern  tribes,  conclu- 
sively show  this.  The  large  tribe  of  ISTavajo  Indians,  numbering  about 
seven  thousand  eight  hundred  souls,  who  have  recently,  at  their  own  urgent 
request,  been  returned  from  the  Pecos  River  to  their  old  haunts  in  the  moun- 
tains west  of  the  Eio  delNorte,  are  kindly  disposed,  and  anxious  to  become 
civilized.  Their  men  and  women  are  eminently  industrious  and  willing  to 
work  in  the  fields,  but  unfortunately  their  lands  upon  the  Pecos,  on  account 
of  .the  alkali  in  the  soil,  did  not  yield  much  grain.  The  northern  part  of 
their  present  reservation,-  as  well  as  the  adjoining  country  upon  the  head- 
waters of  the  San  Juan  and  Los  Aniinos  Eivers,  which  is  occupied 
by  the  Capote  and  Weininuche  Utes,  is  one  of  the  very  best  grazing 
and  stock-raising  sections  I  have  ever  seen.  The  best  quality  of  grass 
grows  most  luxuriantly  all  over  this  country,  it  is  well  watered  with 
numerous  spring  brooks,  and  there  is  a  great  abundance  of  pine  timber. 
Animals  can  subsist  here  during  the  entire  winter  upon  the  grass  in  the 
sheltered  valleys.  The  soil  is  rich  in  many  of  the  valleys,  and  the  fre- 
quent showers  during  the  summer  mouths  would  probably  obviate  the 
necessity  of  irrigation  in  the  cultivation  of  grain. 
Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

E.  B.  MAECY, 
Inspector  General  United  States  Army. 

Messrs.  WELSH,  BRUNOT,  AND  OTHERS, 

Commissioners  for  Visiting  Indians,  &c. 


ALASKA 


E. 

REPORT  OF  THE  HON.  VINCENT  COLYER,  UNITED  STATES  SPECIAL  INDIAN 
COMMISSIONER,  ON  THE  INDIAN  TRIBES  AND  THEIR  SURROUNDINGS  IN 
ALASKA  TERRITORY,  FROM  PERSONAL  OBSERVATION  AND  INSPECTION 
IN  1869. 

UNITED  STATES  STEADIER  NEWBERN, 

Alaska  Territory,  November,  1869. 

DEAR  SIR  :  I  received  my  appointment  from  the  President  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  United  States  special  Indian  commissioners,  on  the 
23d  of  July,  18G9,  while  you  were  absent  on  your  tour  of  inspection  to 
the  southern  Indian  territory.  I  had  already  visited  the  Indians  in 
Eastern  Kansas,  Indian  territory,  Northern  Texas,  New  Mexico,  North- 
eastern Arizona  and  Southern  Colorado,  of  which  I  have  reported  to 
you.  Knowing  that  the  commission  had  arranged  to  visit  the  other 
portions  of  the  old  Territories  of  the  United  States  previous  to  my 
appointment,  and  that  Alaska  was  not  included  in  your  program  me,  and 
that  there  were  reported  by  General  Halleck  to  be  over  sixty  thousand 
Indians  in  that  Territory,  I  thought  it  clearly  my  duty  to  visit  Alaska. 

As  neither  letter  nor  telegram  could  reach  you  in  time  to  secure  a 
reply  that  would  be  in  season  to  allow  me  to  accomplish  anything  after 
receiving  it,  I  had  to  leave  without  other  communication  than  simply 
notifying  you  of  my  departure  for  that  Territory. 

I  crossed  the  continent  by  the  Pacific  railroad,  and  from  San  Fran- 
cisco went  by  steamer  up  the  coast  to  the  Straits  of  St.  Juan  del  Fuca, 
and  thence  by  the  inside  passage  to  Alaska.  Our  steamer  stopped  at 
Victoria,  on  Vancouver  Island,  and  at  the  United  States  post  on  the 
island  of  St.  Juan.  The  earnest  desire  of  the  people  of  British  Colum- 
bia for  annexation  to  the  United  States,  and  the  manifest  probability  of 
their  obtaining  their  wishes  at  an  early  day,  make  it  necessary  that  I 
should  give  some  account  of  the  Indian  tribes  of  that  Territory. 

THE    NATIVES     OF   BRITISH    COLUMBIA    AND    SOUTHEASTERN    ALASKA 
LIVING  ON  THE  STRAITS  BETWEEN  VICTORIA  AND  S1TKA. 

It  was  the  latter  part  of  August  (27tk)  when  we  entered  the  Straits 
of  Fuca.  The  morning  was  clear  and  mild,  and  the  Indians  were  out  in 
their  wooden  canoes  fishing.  The  canoes  were  hewn  from  the  solid  log, 
varying  in  size  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet,  with  a  raised  prow  and  stern. 
The  men  were  dressed  like  our  fishermen,  with  the  exception  of  the  hat, 
which  was  a  broad  brim  running  down  in  one  unbroken  convex  sweep 
from  the  flat  top  to  the  outer  rim.  It  was  decidedly  Chinese  in  its  form, 
and  was  made,  either  of  cars-ed  wood,  thin  and  in  one  piece,  or  plaited 
of  grass  and  painted.  Their  dwellings  along  shore  were  constructed  of 
split  boards  tied  together,  clapboard  fashion,  with  strips  of  sapling  on 
upright  poles.  Both  canoes  and  dwellings  resembled  the  pictui  es  given 
in  Vancouver's  description  of  1794.  Some  of  their  houses  were  of  colossal 
dimensions,  one  which  I  measured  being  80  feet  wide  by  200  feet  long. 
They  are  subdivided  within  into  smaller  apartments  for  families. 

There  are  about  five  thousand  of  these  Indians  scattered  a'ong  the 
6 


82  REPORT    OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

shores  of  these  straits  from  Victoria  to  Portland  Channel,  the  boundary 
line  between  British  Columbia  and  Alaska. 

There  are  the  Nanaimos,  400  ;  Cape  Mudge,  100 ;  Minkish,  200  ;  Fort 
Bupert,  100;  Nahwittis,  200;  Quatsinas,  150;  Wykenas,  100;  Bella 
Bella,  300 ;  Ketyagoos,  100 ;  Hydahs,  a  large  tribe  extending  up  into 
Alaska,  2,000  ;  Kit  Kats,  100;  Ket  a  Mats,  200.— (See  Appendix  A  1.) 

THE   SCENERY  AROUND   THESE  INDIANS. 

The  scenery  through  Johnstone  Straits,  Finley  Channel,  Hickish 
Narrows,  Frazer's  and  Mackay's  Reach,  is  like  that  of  the  highlands  on 
the  Hudson,  only  the  mountains  are  loftier  and  more  densely  wooded. 

It  is  one  continued  panorama  of  grand  and  beautiful  pictures;  moun- 
tains 2,500  to  4,000  feet  high,  rising  directly  out  of  the  water  at  an  angle 
of  from  45°  to  70°  ;  covered  at  the  base  with  a  heavy  growth  of  pine, 
cedar,  and  sprnce,  and  festooned  between  with  a  drapery  of  hanging 
moss.  The  highest  peaks  are  bald,  with  gigantic  masses  of  dark  slate 
and  granite  towering  up  into  the  sky,  and  crowned  with  snow ;  streams  of 
water  glisten  like  lines  of  molten  silver  from  the  lofty  ravines  and  break 
into  sparkling  cascades  at  your  feet. 

The  cold  of  the  upper  air,  appropriate  to  this  latitude,  and  the  warmth 
of  the  warm  waters  from  the  Japan  Sea  current  below,  make  rapid  con- 
densation— so  that  cloud  and  sunshine  alternate.  At  one  hour  fogs  and 
heavy  clouds  draggle  their  dreary  mists  over  the  gloomy  abysses,  and  at 
another  the  sun  breaks  through  warm  and  golden,  lighting  up  the  quiet 
stream,  wooded  hillside,  and  snow-capped  peaks  with  life  and  beauty. 
The  retreating  clouds,  filled  with  the  iris  of  the  rainbow  ;  the  wild  moun- 
tain sheep,  grazing  on  his  elevated  pastures ;  the  eagle,  sweeping  down 
upon  the  leaping  salmon  ;  and  the  Indian  quietly  cooking  his  evening 
meal,  complete  the  picture. 

THE  INDIANS  OF  ALASKA* — TONGAS. 

The  first  place  at  which  we  stopped  in  the  Territory  of  Alaska  was 
Tongas,  an  old  Indian  village  near  which  the  United  States  govern- 
ment has  built  a  new  post.  It  is  located  on  one  of  the  islands  on  the 
coast,  near  Portland  Channel,  the  boundary  line  of  British  Columbia, 
being  the  first  practicable  harbor  found  on  this  lower  extremity  of 
Alaska. 

INDIAN  HOUSES  AT  TONGAS. 

I  regret  that  we  cannot  engrave  the  picture  of  this  Indian  village  at 
Tongas.  The  village  contains  about  sixteen  houses,  which  are  well 
built  of  hewn  plank,  one  story  high,  and  have  both  doors  and  windows, 
the  latter  of  glass,  the  sashes  and  glass  for  which  are  obtained  from 
white  people  trading  on  the  coast.  The  houses  are  about  40  by  50  feet 
square,  and  each  house  is  subdivided  within  into  smaller  apartments 
resembling  ships'  cabins.t 

*  See  Appendix  A. 

t  These  interior  apartments  were,  doubtless,  copied  by  the  Indians  from  ships'  cabins, 
as  these  were  the  kind  of  habitations  mostly  seen  by  the  natives  on  board  the  ships 
so  frequently  visiting  their  coast.  By  the  way,  this  illustrates  quite  remarkably  the 
ability  of  these  Indians  to  improve,  and  the  quickness  and  skill  at  imitation,  and  the 
map,  drawn  from  memory  only,  by  the  old  gentleman,  Mr.  Ebbitts,  chief  of  the  Tongas, 
particularly  illustrates  it,  marked  in  red  on  back,  No.  5.  In  pictures  Nos.  3  and  4,  you 
will  see  interior  views  of  their  houses. 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    OX    INDIAN    AFFAIRS.  83 

These  cabins,  or  private  sleeping  rooms  of  one  family,  are  seen  in 
Sketch  No.  4,  built  on  raised  platform.  They  are  as  neatly  finished  as 
most  whaling  ships'  cabins,  and  have  bunks,  or  places  for  beds,  built 
on  the  inside  around  the  sides.  They  vary  in  size,  being  usually  about 
10  by  20  feet,  with  ceilings  seven  feet  high. 

Some  of  the  young  men  are  quite  skillful  mechanics,  handling  carpen- 
ters' tools  with"  facility,  and  if  you  will  closely  examine  the  sketch  you 
will  see  that  there  is  a  floor  and  raised  platform  of  boards  neatly  fas- 
tened together,  below  the  private  cabins  or  rooms  spoken  of,  so  that  the 
amount  of  carpenter  work  about  one  of  these  houses  is  considerable. 

They  have  a  large  opening  in  the  roof,  through  which  the  smoke  of 
their  fire  passes,  as  seen  in  No.  4.  Usually,  this  opening  in  the  roof  is 
covered  with  loose  boards,  which  are  placed  on  either  side  of  the  roof, 
according  as  the  wind  may  blow,  always  with  an  opening  left,  through 
which  the  smoke  passes  out.  Sometimes  they  build  a  large  wooden 
chimney,  like  a  cupola,  over  this  opening,  but  more  commonly  it  is  only 
covered  with  boards,  as  described.  (See  Appendix  B  ;  reports  of  H.  G. 
Williams,  Leon  Smith,  and  W.  Wall.) 

SUBSISTENCE  AJTO    TRADE   OF  THE  EASTERN  COAST  INDIANS. 

They  subsist  mostly  on  fish,  which  they  catch  in  abundance  with  but 
slight  effort;  salmon  ulicum,  or  caudle  fish,  a  small  fish  somewhat  like 
sardines,  full  of  oil,  which  when  dried,  will  burn  like  a  candle  ;  hence 
its  name.  These  fish  they  clean  and  dry  in  large  quantities  both  for 
their  own  use  and  for  trading  with  the  Indians  in  the  interior  for  furs, 
bear  and  deer  meat,  &c.  (See  Appendix  <J;  report  of  F.  K.  Louthan 
and  Frank  Mahoney,  on  Trade  with  the  Indians.)  A  regular  trade  is 
thus  kept  up  by  them  with  the  interior  tribes,  arid  they  are  exceedingly 
jealous  of  any  outside  interference  with  it.  Much  of  their  antipathy 
to  white  people  going  up  their  rivers  arises  from  this  cause;  the 
Coast  Indians  fearing  that  the  whites  will  steal  away  the  trade. 

THEIR  MERCANTILE  ENTERPRISE. 

Of  this  mercantile  enterprise  of  the  Alaska  Indians,  Mr.  Louthan  says: 

Whilst  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  whole  Koloshan  race  (the  tribes  residing 
on  the  southeastern  coast  of  Alaska)  are  the  same,  there  is  a  marked  difference  in  the 
•wealth  and  condition  of  those  tribes  living  on  the  main-land  coast,  over  that  of  the 
islanders.  Position,  custom,  and  numbers  have  given  to  the  former  the  entire  control 
of  the  valuable  trade  with  the  interior.  There  are  five  of  these  great  mainland  tribes, 
each  warlike  and  powerful,  and  equally  jealous  of  any  encroachments  on  their  peculiar 
privileges. 

Beginning  north,  we  have  the  Copper  River  Indians,  variously  estimated  frem  three 
to  four  thousand  strong.  But  little  is  known  of  this  people.  They  are,  however, 
known  to  be  very  rich  in  furs.  The  early  Russians  told  fabulous  stories  of  the  existence 
of  both,  gold  and  copper  on  this  river,  which  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  the  Indians  are 
at  times  seen  to  use  these  metals  in  their  ornaments. 

Next  in  order,  south,  are  the  Klahinks,  about  one  thousand  strong.  They  live  in 
the  great  basin,  or  park,  known  as  Behring  Bay.  between  Mt.  St.  Elias  and  Mt.  Fair- 
weather,  and  have  a  splendid  communication  with  the  interior  by  means  of  two  long 
fine  rivers  emptying  into  the  bay.  These  Indians  are  gentle,  hospitable,  and  kind,  but 
are  poor,  having  been  neglected  by  the  traders  for  the  last  three  years.  They  are  in 
quick  communication  with  a  splendid  fur-bearing  country,  and  only  require  a  market 
to  develop  extensive  resources. 

Next  in  order  are  the  Hoonid  or  Grass  Sound  Indians,  two  thotisand  strong.  They 
live  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  sound  for  a  distance  of  sixty  miles,  and  are  the  oil  mer- 
chants of  the  coast,  taking  enormously  large  quantities  of  seal,  dogfish,  and  oulican 
oil,  which  they  barter  to  their  brethren  all  along  the  coast.  These  oils  are  used  largely 
by  our  Indians  as  an  article  of  food.  It  is  used  by  them  as  we  use  butter. 

At  the  head  of  Chatham  Straits,  almost  due  north  from  Sitka  two  hundred  and 


84  EEPORT    OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

twenty  miles,  are  the  Chilkahts,  at  least  ten  thousand  strong.  They  are  a  brave  and 
warlike  people,  "  more  sinned  against  than  sinning."  I  have  had  much  to  do  with 
them,  and  ever  found  them  honest,  faithful,  and  kind.  Their  villages  extend  from  the 
mouth  to  a  distance  of  seventy-five  miles  up  the  Chilkaht  River.  These  Indians  are 
among  the  richest,  if  not  the  wealthiest,  of  our  Coast  Indians.  Large  quantities  of  the 
most  valuable  furs  are  annually  gathered  and  sold  by  them.  They  are  in  every  way 
independent. 

Twenty  miles  north  of  Sitka,  and  east  of  Admiralty  Island  seventy-five  miles,  are  the 
Takoos,  living  at  the  head  of  Takoo  Inlet,  on  the  Takoo  River.  These  Indians  claim  to 
be  richer  in  furs  than  any  of  the  tribes  around  them.  About  the  same  quantity  can  be 
got  here  as  on  the  Chilkaht.  Some  idea  may  be  gathered  of  the  large  trade  at  one  time 
done  with  them  when  I  state,  but  a  short  time  ago  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  made 
their  trade  loose  from  the  Russian-American  Company  fur  taken  in  a  single  trip  of 
their  steamer,  over  five  thousand  marten  skins,  and  other  valuable  skins  in  proportion. 
The  Takoos  number  about  the  same  as  the  Chilkahts,  and  are  a  proud  and  haughty  race. 
Gold  is  well  known  to  exist  anywhere  along  this  river,  but  the  Indians  have,  so  far, 
steadily  refused  to  permit  any  development."  (See  Appendix  C.) 

PROVIDENT   CARE  IN  PRESERVING  THEIR  FOOD. 

You  will  notice  in  Sketch  No.  4,  a  frame-work  erected  in  the  centre  of 
the  cabin.  On  this  rack  of  untrimmed  sticks  they  hang  their  salmon 
and  other  fish,  to  smoke  and  dry  them  over  the  fire.  They  then  pack 
them  for  use,  in  square  boxes  neatly  made  of  yellow  cedar,  smoked, 
oiled,  and  trimmed  with  bears'  teeth,  in  imitation  of  the  nails  we  use  on 
our  trunks — like  the  old  brass  nails  of  former  years. 

THEIR  TASTE  FOR  ART  IN  CARVING  AND  PAINTING. 

.'They  are  ornamented  with  figures,  faces,  &c.,  which  plainly  show  a 
Mongolian  origin.  This  small  sketch  is  like  them. 

Some  of  these  Indian  houses  are  quite  elaborately  painted  on  the 
front,  as  seen  in  Sketch  No.  3,  the  residence  of  Skillat's  widow.  Skillat 
was  former  chief  of  the  Stikine  tribe  of  Kolloshaus.  The  Stachine 
tri£>e,are  at  Wrangel,  which  place  I  will  describe  directly,  one  day's  sail 
further  north.  These  paintings  have  an  allegorical  meaning,  and  fre- 
quently represent  facts  in'the  history  of  the  chief  or  the  tribe. 

In  front  of  the  entrance  there  is  usually  a  porch,  built  with  railing,  to 
prevent  the  children  from  falling  off,  and  you  will  notice  the  round  hole 
for  the  entrance.  They  are  covered,  inside,  with  heavy  wooden  doors, 
securely  fastened  within  by  large  wooden  bars,  as  if  for  safety  against 
attacks.  The  doors  are  usually  about  four  feet  in  diameter,  and  their 
.circular  form  resembles  the  opening  of  the  "  tepe"  or  tents  of  the  tribes  of 
the  plains  so  nearly  that  the  mind  naturally  concludes  that  the  habit  of 
stooping  to  Center  their  houses  was  adopted  in  earlier  ages,  when  the 
tent  was  the  habitation.  The  Pueblo  Indians,  in  their  adobe  houses,  in 
m"ew  Mexico,  require  a  stooping  posture  to  enter  their  doors. 

In  frout  of  most  of  the  cabins  of  the  chiefs,  large  poles,  elaborately 
•carved,  with  figures  imitating  bears,  sea-lions,  crows,  eagles,  human 
faces  and  figures,  are  erected.  These  are  supposed  to  represent  facts  in 
the  history  of  .the  chiefs,  as  well  as  being  heraldic  symbols  of  the  tribe. 
By  referring  to  Picture  No.  1,  you  will  see  the  poles  standing  in  front 
of  the-eabiois  5  in  another  sketch  not  engraved  is  an  enlarged  copy  of  these 
poles,  and  on  2S"o.  5  are  some  very  curious  colossal  frogs,  a  bear,  and 
war-chief,  with  his  "  big  medicine-dance"  hat  on.  All  of  these  things 
show  a  great  fondness  for  art,  which,  if  developed,  would  bear  good 
fruits.  It  also  shows  that  these  Indians  have  the  time,  taste,  and  means 
for  other  things  than  immediately  providing  the  mere  necessities  ot 
existence. 

In  the  carving  of  their  canoes  they  display  great  skill,  making  them 


STo.  3.— SKILLAT,  THE  CHIEF'S  HOUSE  AT  WRAXGEL,  ALASKA. 


No.  4.— INTERIOR  OF  INDIAN  IIOUSK  AT  WKAXilKL.  ALASKA. 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS.  85 

entirely  by  the  eye.  They  are  as  accurately  balanced  and  beautifully 
modeled  as  possible.  A  copy  of  a  canoe,  with  a  group  of  Indian  women 
dressed  in  their  highly-colored  blankets  and  calicoes,  you  will  find  in 
Sketch  No.  10,  (not  engraved  in  this  edition.) 

DRESS   OF  THE  WOMEN. 

The  women  dress  neatly,  being  fond  of  bright-colored  calico,  muslins, 
woolens,  &c.,  as  usual  with  Indians.  They  are  quite  pretty,  and  their 
ignorance  of  any  law  regulating  the  relations  between  the  sexes  makes 
their  too  open  licentiousness  have  a  less  consciously  degrading  influence 
on  their  outward  demeanor  than  with  our  white  women  of  the  same 
degree  of  vice. 

The  old  chief  of  the  Tongas  or  "Tont-a-quans"  tribe,  Quack-ham,  or 
his  English  name,  Captain  Ebbitts,  a  sketch  of  whom  you  will  find 
marked  No.  11,  is  an  intelligent  and  kind-hearted  old  man.  As  we 
were  leaving  his  house,  the  daughters  called  to  him  as  "  he  was  going 
with  the  Boston  men,"  as  they  call  all  Americans,  "not  to  drink  any 
whisky."'  This  warning  proved  plainly  enough  that  the  Indian  women, 
like  our  own  poor  wives  and  daughters,  fully  appreciate  the  curse  of 
strong  drink.  (See  Appendix  D.) 

HOW  LIQUORS  ARE  BROUGHT  INTO  ALASKA. 

Among  other  goods  lauded  from  our  steamer,  the  United  States  gov- 
ernment quartermaster's  steamer  Newbern,  were  a  number  of  cases 
of  champagne,  porter,  ten  barrels  of  ale,  and  five  barrels  of  whisky, 
rum,  and  brandy,  directed  to  A.  A.  Q.,  post  trader  at  Tongas.  As  the 
order  of  President  Johnson,  under  act  of  Congress,  (see  Appendix  H,) 
expresslyjcommanded  that  all  distilled  spirits  should  be  sent  to  depart- 
ment headquarters  at  Sitka,  subject  to  disposal  of  General  Davisy  I 
inquired  by  what  authority  it  was  landed.  The  commander  of  the  post 
showed  me  the  papers,  which  said  it  was  "for  tlie  use  of  the  officers  of 
the  post"  which  he  explained  as  being  simply  a  "  form  of  expression." 
As  there  were  but  four  officers  at  this  post,  and  the  Indian  village  is 
not  more  than  five  hundred  yards  from  it,  and  the  Indians  do  most  of 
their  trading  with  this  post  sutler,  I  thought  it  clearly  my  duty  to  speak 
of  this. 

PROXIMITY   OF  UNITED   STATES  POSTS  AND  INDIAN  VILLAGES. 

This  brings  me  to  consider  the  near  proximity  of  the  posts  in  Alaska 
Territory  to  the  Indian  villages — at  Tongas,  as  well  as  at  Wrangel, 
Sitka,  and  Kadiak,  the  commander  of  the  department  has  located  the 
posts  within  five  hundred  yards  of  the  Indian  villages,  so  that  the  soldiers 
as  well  as  some  of  the  officers  use  them,  as  you  can  easily  imagine.  The 
post  at  Tongas,  a  sketch  of  which  I  inclose,  (not  engraved,)  is  within 
three  hundred  yards  of  the  Indian  village,  (not  engraved.)  Though  they 
are  on  opposite  sides  of  the  island,  the  consequence  is  you  cannot  visit 
one  of  these  Indian  villages  without  meeting  some  soldiers  or  sailors 
wandering  about.  That  their  presence  tends  to  demoralize  the  Indians, 
and  nowise  better  the  soldiers,  is  undeniable.  One  or  the  other  should 
be  removed.  As  the  Indians  are  the  oldest  settlers,  the  post  has  been 
placed  there  recently,  and  the  Indians  perfectly  peaceable,  I  think  the 
post,  and  not  the  Indian  village,  should  be  removed. 

In  a  communication  which  I  received  at  Sitka,  October  25,  from  the 


86  REPORT   OF   THE   COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

United  States  medical  director  of  the  department  of  Alaska,  Dr.  E.  J. 
Baily,  he  says :  "  I  am  satisfied  that  little  or  nothing  can  be  done  nntil 
they  (the  Indians  of  Alaska)  are  placed  under  more  favorable  influences. 
A  greater  mistake  could  not  have  been  committed  than  stationing  troops 
in  their  midst.  They  mutually  debauch  each  other,  and  sink  into  that 
degree  of  degradation  in  which  it  is  utterly  impossible  to  reach,  either 
through  moral  or  religious  influences."  (See  report,  Appendix  E.) 

WRANGEL. 

This  village  is  about  seventy  miles  north  of  Tongas,  and  located  on 
a  tongue  of  land  and  curve  in  the  shore  of  Wrangel  Island.  On  the 
opposite  side  of  this  curve,  or  on  the  other  horn  of  the  crescent,  the 
government  post  is  located,  about  five  hundred  yards  distant,  with  its 
guns  commanding  the  village.  There  are  thirty-two  houses  in  the 
village  and  five  hundred  and  eight  inhabitants.  Of  these  one  hundred 
and  fifty-nine  are  men  and  three  hundred  and  forty-nine  are  women 
and  children.  (See  Appendix  Z.)  Of  the  men  about  one-half  are 
capable  of  bearing  arms,  (as  with  us,)  and  they  have  a  few  old  flint- 
lock muskets,  of  Russian  make,  as  they  mostly  live  by  trading  with 
the  Indians  of  the  interior.  There  is  one  company  of  United  States 
troops  at  the  post.  (An  engraving  of  post  of  the  Indian  village  at 
Wrangel  is  inserted,  No.  1.) 

LIQUORS  BROUGHT  TO  WRANGEL. 

As  I  have  reported  at  Tongas,  so  it  was  at  Wrangel.  A  quantity 
of  porter  and  light  wines,  ten  barrels  of  ale,  and  five  barrels  of  distilled 
spirits,  (whisky,  brandy,  &c.,)  were  hoisted  up  from  the  hold  of  the 
Newbern,  marked  for  Leon  Smith,  post  trader  at  Wrangel.  As  I  had 
called  the  attention  of  the  revenue  officers  to  the  violation  of  President 
Johnson's  order  in  landing  the  liquors  at  Tongas,  the  officer  command- 
ing the  post  at  Wrangel  asked  me  my  opinion  of  the  business.  I  called 
his  attention  to  the  wording  of  the  papers  permitting  the  shipment 
of  the  liquors  from  San  Francisco.  It  was  the  same  as  at  Tongas — for 
the  "  use  of  the  officers  at  the  post."  The  captain  read  this,  reflected  a 
moment,  and  then  said  that  he  would  not  permit  it  to  land.  The  beer 
and  porter  was  landed  and  taken  into  Leon  Smith's  store,  and  the 
whisky,  brandy,  rum,  &c.,  was  carried  up  to  Sitka. 

At  Wrangel,  as  at  Tongas,  there  is  no  medical  attendance,  nor  care  or 
supervision  of  any  kind  whatever,  other  than  military,  over  the  Indians. 
It  was  the  same  at  Sitka,  at  Kadiak,  and  indeed  all  through  the  Terri- 
tory, until  I  complained  of  it  to  General  Davis,  when  at  my  request  he 
promptly  and  most  kindly  provided  medical  supervision  at  Sitka  and 
Kadiak. 

Wrangel  Harbor  and  the  Indian  village  are  very  picturesque  and 
interesting  places.  I  made  careful  sketches  of  all  objects  of  import- 
ance, which  I  inclose. 

THE   STYCH1NE  RIVER. 

As  this  river  is  the  most  important  channel  of  trade  with  the  interior 
in  southeastern  Alaska,  I  arranged  with  Mr.  Harry  Gr.  Williams,  of  Phila- 
delphia, who  contemplated  making  an  ascent  of  it,  to  give  me  an  account 
of  the  river  and  the  condition  of  the  Indians  along  its  banks.  This 
he  has  done,  and  I  take  great  pleasure  in  submitting  it.  (See  Appendix 


REPORT   OP   THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS.  87 

B.)  As  also  a  report  on  the  same  subject  from  Leon  Smith,  post  trader 
at  Wrangel,  and  another  on  the  Stychine  tribe  and  village  at  Wraiigel, 
by  W.  Wall,  interpreter,  will  be  found,  marked  Appendix  B  2,  B  3. 


SITKA 


The  present  headquarters  of  the  department,  and  former  residence 
of  the  Russian  governor.  We  were  most  cordially  welcomed  by  General 
Davis,  and  every  assistance  which  both  himself  and  the  officers  of  the 
department  could  be  given  to  further  the  objects  of  our  visit  was 
extended  toward  us. 

The  liquor  received  from  Wrangel  was  landed  and  placed  in  charge 
of  the  revenue  officers,  and  the  steamer  Lincoln  was  dispatched 
promptly  by  the  collector  of  the  port  for  the  five  barrels  which  had 
been  landed  at  Tongas.  The  promptness  of  sending  for  this  liquor 
was  owing,  in  part,  to  the  suspicion  that  a  large  quantity  of  liquor,  in 
addition  to  the  five  barrels  landed,  had  been  smuggled  ashore  as 
molasses.  This  suspicion  was  unfounded. 


A  large  quantity  (nine  hundred  gallons)  of  pure  alcohol,  marked 
"coal  oil,"  and  directed  to  the  care  of  the  post  traders  at  Sitka,  was 
landed  at  Sitka  from  our  steamer,  the  Newbern.  This  fraud  was 
detected  by  Inspector  Andrew  lieed,  and  the  liquor  was  confiscated  by 
Collector  Kapus. 

Liquors  thus  confiscated  are  kept  in  the  storehouse  a  certain  length 
of  time,  advertised,  and  then  sold  at  public  auction  by  the  collector 
of  the  port.  Of  course,  so  long  as  this  practice  prevails  the  law  of  Con- 
gress, as  a  means  for  preventing  the  Indians  from  getting  liquor,  is  a 
farce.  For  it  is  thus  scattered  broadcast  over  the  Territory. 

Medical  Director  Bailey,  in  his  report  (Appendix  E)  before  alluded 
to,  says : "  Whiskey  has  been  sold  in  the  streets  by  government  officers  at 
public  auctionjand  examples  of  drunkenness  are  set  before  them  almost 
daily,  so  that,  in  fact,  the  principal  teaching  they  are  at  present  receiving- 
is  that  drunkenness  and  debauchery  are  held  by  us  not  as  criminal  and 
unbecoming  a  Christian  people,  but  as  indications  of  our  advanced  and 
superior  civilization.  These  Indians  are  a  civil  and  well-behaved 
people.  They  do  not  want  bayonets  to  keep  them  in  subjection,  but 
they  do  need  honest,  faithful,  and  Christian  workers  among  them,  who 
will  care  for  them,  teach  and  instruct  them  in  useful  arts,  and  that  they 
are  responsible  beings. 

MEDICAL  ATTENDANCE  FURNISHED  BY  GENERAL  DAVIS. 

Passing  up  the  street  at  Sitka  (there  is  but  one)  I  met  a  crowd  col- 
lected around  an  Indian  girl.  She  was  moaning,  in  great  pain,  and 
lying  uncared  for  on  the  sidewalk.  I  asked  "  why  they  did  not  take 
her  to  the  hospital,"  and  was  informed  that  "  there  was  no  provision 
made  for  Indians  at  the  hospital."  General  Davis  happening  to  pass 
at  that  moment  gave  me  permission,  and,  assisted  by  two  Indians,  I 
carried  her  to  the  United  States  hospital.  She  was  placed  in  a  wretched, 
tumble-down  part  of  the  building,  and  medicine  given  her.  The  next 
day  General  Davis  humanely  issued  an  order  detailing  Doctor  J.  G. 
Tonner  to  act  as  surgeon  in  charge  of  the  Indians  near  the  town. 
On  my  return  from  the  west,  six  weeks  later,  Dr.  Tonner  gave  me  a 


88  REPORT    OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

copy  of  his  own  excellent  first  report  on  the  sanitary  condition  of  the 
Sitka  tribe  of  Indians,  which  will  be  found  in  the  Appendix  E. 

The  Indian  village  up  to  this  time  had  received  no  sanitary  super- 
vision. Its  proximity  to  the  town  would  seem  to  require  this  for  the 
Indian,  without  considering  the  claims  of  humanity. 

As  the  Indians  supply  the  town  with  most  of  its  provisions,  (see 
report  of  ex-Mayor  Dodge,  Appendix  L,)  the  condition  of  the  place 
where  they  met  the  whites  at  the  gate  of  the  stockade  dividing  the 
two  peoples  attracted  my  attention.  It  was  a  wet,  filthy,  broken  down 
old  shed,  and  as  soon  as  the  commanding  general's  attention  was 
called  to  it  he  ordered  a  new  and  convenient  market-house  built. 

The  Sitka  Indians,  who  number  about  1,250  souls,  are  admitted  through 
the  gate  of  the  town  at  sunrise  and  move  around  at  pleasure  through 
the  day.  Many  of  them  are  idle  and  waste  their  time  in  gambling  in 
the  recesses  of  the  houses  of  the  whites.  They  paint  their  faces  with 
black  and  red,  looking  hideously. 

EAGERNESS  OF   THE   SITKA  INDIANS  TO   IMPROVE. 

Hearing  a  difference  of  opinion  concerning  the  willingness  of  the 
Indian  to  change  his  habits,  I  called  a  meeting  of  their  chiefs  at  the 
headquarters  of  the  commanding  general  of  the  department  of  Alaska 
on  last  Tuesday.  General  Davis,  Col.  Brady,  Dr.  Bailey,  and  Captain 
Mclutyre,  of  the  army,  and  Madame,  the  widow  of  Michaloff,  late 
chief  of  the  Sitkas,  were  present.  Messrs.  David  Shirpser,  Sukoff, 
and  William  Phillips  acted  as  interpreters.  The  object  of  the  meeting 
Avas  to  ascertain  if  the  Indians  would  care  to  have  schools  established 
among  them;  a  sanitary  supervision  exercised  OA~er  their  village,  and  a 
hospital  and  medical  attendance  provided  for  them.  To  all  of  these 
proposals  the  Sitkas  gratefully  assented,  promising  to  use  their  best 
endeavors  to  secure  the  attendance  of  their  children  and  unemployed 
grown  people  at  schools,  and  to  find  help  to  aid  the  sanitary  superin- 
tendent in  his  efforts  to  cleanse  and  improve  their  village.  They  con- 
sented also  to  a  grant  of  laud  on  the  hill-top  for  the  erection  of  a  new 
market  for  their  benefit  and  the  people's  convenience,  and  agreed  to 
remove  such  of  their  dead  as  might  be  in  the  way  of  the  new  enter- 
prise. When  the  question  was  asked  if  they  wished  for  a  freer  traffic 
in  Avhisky  for  their  tribe,  they  said  most  emphatically  that  they  did 
not,  and  gave  that  as  the  cause  of  a  riotous  disturbance  in  their  village 
the  night  before.  The  interview  was  a  most  agreeable  one,  and  "  pot 
latching"  or  entertainment  was  not  resorted  to. 

The  chiefs  reprobated  the  habit  of  some  of  their  "more  ignorant,"  as 
they  called  them,  Indians  painting  their  faces;  and  for  the  habit  of  gam- 
bling and  loafing,  they  gave  the  same  reason  as  that  given  by  the 
2savajoes  in  New  Mexico,  that  the  young  men  wouldnot  obey  the  chiefs, 
and  that  the  chiefs  had  no  power  to  enforce  their  orders.  They  said 
they  would  be  glad  if  our  officers  would  break  up  the  gambling  habits, 
Avhich  Colonel  Brady,  commanding  the  post,  with  his  characteristic 
energy  and  ability,  proceeded  the  next  day  to  do. 

UNPUNISHED  MURDER   OF  A  CHILOAT  INDIAN. 

On  my  way  up  in  the  steamer,  Mr.  Frank  K.  Louthan,  post  trader  at 
Sitka,  told  me  of  the  killing  of  a  Chilcat  Indian,  visiting  Sitka,  by  a 
young  man  named  J.  C.  Parker,  employed  as  clerk  in  his  store.  "The 
Indian,"  he  said,  "was  in  company  with  several  others,  standing  leaning 


REPORT    OF   THE   COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN    AFFAIRS.  89 

against  a  show  case  in  his  store,  in  March  last.  The  Indian,  in  leaning 
on  the  glass,  either  intentionally  for  the  purpose  of  stealing',  as  Parker 
claims,  or  accidentally,  as  many  assert,  broke  the  glass.  Parker,  who 
it  is  claimed  has  an  old  grudge  against  Indians,  came  toward  the  In- 
dian, who,  becoming  alarmed,  immediately  ran  out  of  the  store  toward 
the  Indian  village.  Parker  stepped  back  into  the  store,  took  a  Henry 
repeating  rifle,  followed  after  the  Indian  and  shot  him,  so  that  he  soon 
died."  On  my  arrival  at  Sitka  I  inquired  of  General  Davis  what  had 
been  done  with  Parker,  as  I  had  been  introduced  to  him  as  United  States 
inspector  of  customs  at  Tongas.  The  general  told  me  that  Parker  had 
been  tried  by  military  court-martial  and  acquitted,  and  frankly  handed 
me  a  copy  of  the  trial.  I  introduce  it  in  the  Appendix  E.  In  looking 
over  the  evidence  of  Mr.  Louthan,  in  that  trial,  it  will  be  seen  that  he 
knew  "  nothing,"  while  in  his  letter  to  me,  in  Appendix  0,  he  distinctly 
states  in  writing,  that  this  young  man  killed  the  Indian. 

As  this 'report  was  going  to  press  I  received  a  letter  from  Dr.  J.  G. 
Towuer,  at  Sitka,  informing  me  that  this  same  miscreant,  Parker,  had 
shot  another  Indian  in  the  streets  of  Sitka,  in  the  early  part  of  January, 
1870.  It  seems  that  Parker  had  been  relieved  as  revenue  officer  at  Ton- 
gas and  appointed  policeman  at  Sitka,  and  one  morning  early,  seeing 
an  Indian  passing  around  a  corner,  deliberately  took  up  his  gun  and 
shot.  As  in  the  first  instance,  Parker  trumps  up  a  story,  the  Indian 
looked  as  though  he  was  about  to  steal  something. 

This  is  the  legitimate  fruit  of  the  farcical  military  court-martial  re- 
ported in  Appendix  E.  And  it  is  because  there  is,  apparently,  no  cessa- 
tion of  abuses  like  the  above,  that  it  becomes  our  duty  to  state  unre- 
servedly many  disagreeable  facts  which  we  would  otherwise  gladly 
have  omitted. 

KADIAK. 

On  the  18th  of  September  we  left  Sitka  for  Kadiak ;  Generals  Davis, 
Thompkins,  and  Ihrie,  with  Judge  Storer  and  Mr.  Murphy,  editor  of 
Alaska  Times,  and  other  officers  and  gentlemen  as  fellow-passengers. 

We  found  a  center  for  a  large  number  of  Indian  villages.  The  Indians 
come  in  their  skin  canoes,  or  Mdarks,  from  all  parts  of  the  island  and  ad- 
jacent coast  to  trade.  For  their  names  and  numbers,  see  Appendix  M. 

There  are  only  three  traders  at  Kadiak,  but  these  supply  the  natives 
with  goods  at  fair  prices.  The  practice  of  the  old  Eussian  fur  company 
was  to  advance  supplies  to  the  Indians,  and  take  their  furs  the  succeed- 
ing season  for  pay. .  This  habit  is  still  popular  with  the  natives,  and  in 
the  hands  of  selfish  traders  works  as  injuriously  with  the  Indians  as  with 
every  one.  One  of  the  methods  used  was  for  the  trader  to  purchase 
and  own  all  the  bidarkas  or  skin  canoes,  without  which  the  native  can- 
not catch  the  sea  otter,  or  fish. 

The  residents  at  Kadiak  are  mostly  Creoles,  or  half-breed  Indian  and 
Eussian,  while  in  nearly  all  the  other  villages  in  the  vicinity  they  are 
full-blooded  Aleutes. 

WOOD  ISLAND. 

At  Wood  Island,  about  five  miles  from  the  village  of  Saint  Paul,  or 
Kadiak  proper,  there  is  a  settlement  of  Aleutes,  who  are  employed  by 
the  Arnerican-Eussian  Ice  Company  of  California.  As  this  company 
have  extensive  ice  houses  on  the  island,  and  rely  for  nearly  all  their 
heavy  labor  upon  the  Aleutes,  I  was  glad  to  hear  the  superintendent  say 


90  REPORT    OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

that  the  company  intended  to  do  considerable  toward  advancing  the 
natives  here  in  comfort  and  education.  There  is  much  need  of  it. 
Little  or  no  care  is  shown  in  the  laying  out  of  the  village,  construction 
of  the  dwellings,  or  education  of  the  people.  With  the  means  at  the 
command  of  this  company,  the  reputation  of  its  officers  for  liberality, 
and  the  advantage  which  must  return  to  it  in  a  generous  policy  toward 
its  employes,  one  can  readily  believe  that  it  will  soon  effect  the  much 
needed  reforms. 

At  present  the  houses  are  small,  poorly  ventilated,  carelessly  tossed 
together  huts. 

There  is  no  school-teacher,  missionary,  resident  physician,  or  medical 
supervision.  The  only  store  on  the  island  belongs  to  the  ice  company, 
and  the  natives  can  trade  there,  or  row  over  to  Kodiak  for  their  sup- 
plies. The  prices  charged  for  goods  was  about  one-third  more  than  at 
San  Francisco. 

Below  Kadiak  about  a  mile,  we  found  a  settlement  of  Kolosh  Indians, 
from  the  neighborhood  of  Sitka.  They  were  living  in  well- constructed 
log  houses,  built  above  the  ground,  with  glass  windows  and  battened 
doors  and  shutters.  They  said  that  they  were  captured  when  young  in 
the  waters  of  British  Columbia,  sold  into  slavery  by  their  captors,  and 
brought  down  here  by  the  Russians  to  save  their  lives.  It  is  said  to  be 
the  practice,  occasionally,  for  tribes  to  offer  up  living  sacrifices  on  the 
death  of  their  head  chiefs.  General  Davis  is  said  to  have  saved  the 
life  of  one  young  slave  from  this  fate,  and  the  Russians  appear  to  have 
done  the  same  thing  in  the  case  of  these  Indians. 

As  the  Aleutes  build  their  houses  mostly  under  ground,  these  high 
and  dry,  stout  and  clean  log  houses  of  the  Kolosh  Indians  contrasted 
favorably  for  the  latter.  It  illustrates  what  I  have  elsewhere  stated, 
that  the  Kolosh  Indians,  if  properly  cared  for,  surpass  the  Aleutes. 

The  natives  from  the  neighboring  villages  at  Kadiak  earnestly  im- 
plored me  to  visit  them,  and  I  deeply  regretted  my  inability,  for  want  of 
time,  to  do  so.  They  said  that  they  had  many  sick  and  poor  at  their 
houses,  and  now  that  the  Russian  government  had  ceased  its  paternal 
care  over  them,  they  had  no  one  to  see  to  their  wants.  This  I  found 
to  be  a  general  source  of  complaint  along  the  coast  of  the  Aleutian 
Islands. 

MONOPOLIES. 

Several  of  the  large  American  trading  firms,  eager  to  obtain  the 
trade  of  these  poor  people,  are  endeavoring,  with  unscrupulous  energy, 
to  assume  control  over  them,  but  as  there  is  no  supervising  power  with 
proper  responsibility  to  whom  they  are  to  account  for  any  abuses,  the 
Aleutes  would  be  wholly  at  their  mercy. 

Messrs,  flutchiuson,  Kohl  &  Co.,  who  bought  whatever  rights  the  old 
Russian  company  may  have  had  left  when  the  Territory  came  into  our 
possession,  have  assumed  the  largest  amount  of  control  over  the  Aleutes, 
but  at  Kadiak,  Bellskoffsky,  Unalaska,  and  St.  Paul  Island,  where  I 
personally  inspected  the  operations  of  this  firm,  and  at  other  places 
where  I  had  evidence  from  reliable  witnesses,  I  found  no  indications  of 
any  other  relationship  than  that  of  traders  with  the  Indians.  I  would 
not  have  referred  to  them  here  but  that  a  bill  was  passed  through  one 
of  the  houses  of  Congress  last  year,  and  similar  acts  are  now  pending 
there,  which  virtually  place  the  Indians  of  Alaska,  and  reduce  them, 
to  a  condition  of  serfdom,  in  the  keeping  of  this  or  another  large  com- 
mercial firm.  For  the  sake  of  humanity,  I  trust  this  will  not  become  a 
law. 


REPORT   OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS.  91 

Before  leaving  Kadiak  Island  we  were  destined  once  more  to  see  the 
workings  of  "  pay-day  in  tbe  army."  It  was  the  same  here  as  down  in  the 
Cherokee  country,  at  Fort  Wingate,  and  at  Sitka.  The  day  after  the  men 
were  paid  many  of  them  were  beastly  drunk,  and  while  in  that  condi- 
tion the  natives  had  a  hard  time  of  it.  The  officers  tried  in  vain  to  re- 
strain them.  I  passed  by  one  Creole  cabin  at  Kadiak,  from  the  inte- 
rior of  which  issued  the  shouts  of  the  drunken  soldiers,  while  at  the 
porch  stood  a  little  Indian  girl  the  very  picture  of  despair  and  distress. 

The  day  after  the  paymaster  left,  one  drunken  soldier  stabbed  another 
and  came  near  killing  him.  The  commissioners  will  please  bear  in 
mind  that  these  soldiers  are  the  only  police  or  representatives  of  law 
and  order  there  are  in  the  Territory.  When  they  act  in  this  way  it  is 
easy  to  conceive  in  what  a  condition  the  people  must  be. 

OUKAMACK  ISLAND. 

Ascertaining  from  a  trader  that  there  was  a  small  band  of  Aleutes  on 
Oukauiack  Island,  who  were  likely  to  starve  to  death  this  winter  if  some 
one  did  not  visit  them  and  supply  their  necessities,  1  applied  to  Gen- 
eral Davis  for  provisions  to  help  them,  and,  as  usual,  the  general  gen- 
erously responded.  (See  Appendix  Z.) 

Captain  David  Evans,  of  the  United  States  revenue  steamer  Lincoln, 
with  characteristic  kindness,  sailed  nearly  thirty  miles  out  of  his  course 
to  stop  there. 

Oukamack  is  a  large  island  destitute  of  wood,  though  covered  with 
rich  verdure,  and  lies  southwest  of  Kadiak  about  two  hundred  and 
twenty  miles.  It  is  said  to  have  been  a  penal  colony  under  the  Eus- 
sians,  and  is  now  chiefly  famous  for  its  marmot  robes,  which  are  worn 
so  much  by  the  Aleutes. 

The  chief,  a  short,  stout,  intelligent-looking  man,  came  out  to  the  bay 
to  meet  us  in  his  "  bidarka,"  and  seemed  very  anxious  at  our  arrival. 
The  Indians  are  so  entirely  at  the  mercy  of  large  ships'  crews  arriving 
on  their  coast  that  it  is  no  wonder  they  are  solicitous.  On  landing  and 
making  known  our  errand  they  were  overjoyed.  One  venerable  Aleute, 
too  feeble  to  rise,  gently  pulled  my  face  down  to  his,  and  then  touched 
first  one  cheek  and  then  the  other  to  his,  pointing  upward  and  saying, 
"  Jesus  Christus." 

I  gave  them  a  new  American  flag,  which  they  run  up  on  a  flag-staff 
near  at  hand,  with  cheers.  There  were  over  a  hundred  of  them,  with  a 
native  priest  at  their  head,  who  reads  Eussian.  They  had  plenty  of 
salmon  and  squirrels,  but  nothing  else — not  a  gun,  axe,  or  tool  of  any 
sort,  or  piece  of  twine,  or  any  useful  thing.  They  said  that  the  old 
Eussian  American  Fur  Company,  for  whom  they  formerly  worked,  came 
and  stripped  them  of  everything  when  they  left. 

They  were  intelligent  and  industrious,  and  if  some  enterprising  and 
just  business  man  were  to  go  there  and  set  up  a  salmon  preserve  or  ice 
house,  (there  are  two  large  lakes  of  clear,  fresh  water,)  he  would 
doubtless  make  money,  and  could  benefit  these  worthy  people. 

From  Oukamack  Island  we  went  to  Bellskoflfsky,  passing  Ounyi  and 
the  famous  cod  fisheries  on  our  way.  Some  of  the  officers  of  the 
steamer  said  that  on  their  former  trip,  in  passing  these  fishing  banks, 
last  season,  there  were  over  thirty  vessels  engaged  in  the  business. 

BELLSKOFFSKY. 

At  Bellskoffsky  we  found  the  natives  about  to  build  a  new  church, 
after  a  design  which  they  had  sent  for  from  San  Francisco,  California. 


92  REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

They  were  paying  for  its  erection  themselves,  in  sea-otter  skins,  thirty 
of  which,  worth  twenty-live  dollars  each,  gold,  they  had  already  con- 
tributed. This  shows  their  ability  to  support  themselves  and  bear  tax- 
ation. There  were  two  stores  at  this  place,  Hutchinson,  Kohl  &  Co., 
and  the  American  Kussian  Ice  Co.  The  village  is  badly  located,  on  a 
plateau  close  to  the  sea.  The  anchorage  is  exposed  to  the  high  winds 
from  three-quarters  of  the  compass.  There  is  a  better  harbor,  west  of 
this,  near  at  hand. 

From  thence  we  sailed  to  Unalaska,  where  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
meeting  Mr.  L.  A.  LaGnmge,  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  the  account  of 
Unalaska.  (See  Appendix  Q.) 

BT.   PAUL'S  ISLAND — THE   LANDING. 

We  arrived  at  the  island  of  St.  Paul,  in  the  Behring  Sea,  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  8th  of  October,  1869.  A  strong  current  to  the  westward  car- 
ried us  out  of  our  reckoning  over  twenty  miles. 

As  we  dropped  anchor  in  Southwest  Bay,  the  wind  died  away  and 
there  was  a  light  surf  breaking  on  the  beach.  There  is  no  harbor  on 
either  St.  Paul  or  St.  George's  Island,  and  vessels  have  to  wait  upon 
the  course  of  the  winds  to  make  successful  landings.  There  is  good 
anchorage  in  several  bays,  and  so  long  as  the  winds  remain  favorable, 
vessels  can  load  and  discharge  cargo  without  difficulty.  Captains  have 
to  keep  watchful  care,  however,  to  avoid  being  caught  in  unfavorable 
gales. 

Along  the  shore  of  St.  Paul's  Island  the  fur-seals  were  gathered  in 
great  herds,  called  rookeries.  They  were  evidently  excited  at  the 
approach  of  our  steamer,  and  their  bellowing  resembled  the  sheep  and 
cattle  in  the  great  sale  markets  near  our  large  cities.  The  noises  were 
varied.  The  young  pups  at  times  bark  like  a  dog,  though  their  more 
common  cry  resembles  the  bleating  of  a  lamb;  the  older  ones  bellow  like 
a  cow.  As  their  motion  is  slow  over  the  ground,  and  the  animals  smell 
strong,  they  are  not  unlike  a  herd  of  swine,  though  much  less  offensive, 
and  incomparably  more  attractive  and  interesting. 

While  the  officers  from  the  island  were  assorting  their  letters  and 
exchanging  congratulations  with  their  friends  on  board  our  steamer,  the 
captain  lowered  a  quarter  boat,  and  arranged  for  the  passage  of  the 
interpreter,  Colonel  Wicker,  and  myself,  to  the  shore.  On  our  way  thither 
the  young  seals  assembled  around  us  in  large  numbers.  They  appeared 
delighted  at  the  presence  of  the  boat,  the  movement  of  the  oars,  and  the 
fluttering  of  our  United  States  revenue  flag,  and  after  looking  at  us 
with  their  dark  hazel  eyes,  large  and  beautiful  as  those  of  the  gazelle, 
raising  their  heads  erect  and  stretching  their  necks  as  far  out  of  the 
water  as  they  could,  they  would  dive  down  only  to  again  appear  and 
take  another  look.  At  last  they  got  into  regular  order  and  motion  on 
either  side  of  us,  turning  somersaults  like  porpoises,  and,  forming  an 
escort,  accompanied  us  to  the  shore. 

PRIVATE   INTERVIEWS  WITH   THE  ALEUTES. 

Having  provided  myself  with  an  interpreter  in  whose  ability,  honesty, 
and  truthfulness  I  could  rely,  while  the  officers  walked  up  to  headquarters 
on  the  island,  I  went  into  the  cabins  of  the  Aleutes.  As  this  interpreter 
had  previously  resided  on  the  island,  the  Aleutes  warmly  welcomed  us, 
and  wrere  at  once  very  frank  in  their  communications.  They  said  that 
they  were  doing  about  as  in  years  gone  by ;  that  they  were  now  killing 


REPORT    OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN   AFFAIRS.  93 

seals  three  times  a  week — on  Mondays,  Wednesdays,  and  Fridays  ;  that 
they  usually  killed  between  two  and  three  thousand  on  each  of  these 
days,  or  about  eight  thousand  per  week ;  that  there  were  at  the  present 
time  about  sixty  thousand  skins  in  salt  on  the  island ;  that  these  skins 
were  stored  in  four  salt-houses  on  four  different  points  on  the  island ; 
that  one  of  these  salt-houses  was  near  at  hand  ;  another  a  short  distance 
across  the  village,  on  Southeast  Bay ;  a  third  about  five  miles  to  the 
northwest  of  the  village,  on  Southwest  Bay;  and  the  fourth  fifteen  miles 
to  the  northeast,  on  Northeast  Point.  As  the  revenue  officer  in  charge 
on  the  island,  in  coming  ashore  with  us  in  the  long-boat,  had  said  that 
there  were  only  thirty  thousand  seals  killed  this  season,  and  only  that 
number  of  skins  now  on  the  island,  the  above  statement  of  the  Aleutes, 
doubling  this  amount,  arrested  my  attention. 

The  Aleutes  further  said  that  they  received  forty  cents  per  seal  for 
killing,  skinning,  &c.,  and  that  they  usually  averaged  fifty  skins  per 
day  to  each  man,  though  experts  could  capture  one  hundred  animals ; 
that  they  received  pay  either  in  goods  from  the  store  or  in  cash,  as  they 
chose.  The  killing  commences  some  years  as  early  as  June,  and  con- 
tinues in  a  fragmentary  way  during  July,  and  is  at  its  height  in  August, 
September,  and  October,  during  which  latter  two  months  by  far  the 
larger  number  of  skins  are  taken.  It  will  be  seen  by  the  above  that 
the  season  averages  not  more  than  sixteen  weeks,  and,  at  these  rates,  an 
able-bodied  Aleute  can  support  his  family  comfortably. 

THE  ALEUTES. 

There  are  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  natives  on  St.  Paul's  Island, 
and  one  hundred  and  twenty -five  on  St.  George.  Of  the  two  hundred 
and  fifty  on  St.  Paul,  not  more  than  fifty  are  relied  on  as  active  hunt- 
ers. The  women  assist  liberally,  both  in  carrying  the  skins  to  the  salt- 
houses  and  in  waiting  on  the  men,  carrying  water,  &c.  All  the  Aleutes 
are  nominal  members  of  the  Russo-Greek  church.  A  few  of  the  more 
intelligent  can  read  and  write,  but  these  are  very  few.  All  of  them 
are  intelligent,  peaceable,  generally  industrious,  and  ambitious  to  im- 
prove. 

There  are  about  forty  houses,  or  huts,  built  of  turf  and  grass  on  a  frame- 
work of  timber,  like  the  sketch  opposite.  They  are  about  twenty  feet 
long  by  fifteen  feet  wide,  with  roofs  not  over  seven  feet  high.  They 
resemble  the  huts  our  soldiers  erected  for  winter  quarters  during  the 
war,  and,  like  them,  while  warm  and  comfortable,  are  often  over-crowded, 
and  lack  both  light  and  ventilation.  The  light  is  admitted  through  a 
transparent  skin  or  bladder,  and  the  door-ways  are  usually  so  small  and 
low  that  you  have  to  stoop  to  pass  through  them.  The  furniture  is 
scanty  :  a  few  wooden  chairs  or  stools,  a  broad  bunk  of  boards  raised 
about  a  foot  from  the  ground,  on  which  is  usually  laid  a  mattress  of 
grass  or  straw,  with  a  blanket  or  two  for  sleeping ;  two  or  three  mar- 
mot-skin frocks  from  Oukamok  Island ;  some  Behring  Sea  duck-skin 
shirts;  water-proof  jackets,  made  of  the  intestines  of  the  seal ;  a  harpoon, 
bunch  of  arrows  and  bow  for  sea-otter  hunting;  occasionally  a  flint-lock 
musket,  and  a  copy  of  the  Russo-Greek  and  Aleutian  Island  dialect  trans- 
lation of  St.  Matthew's  Gospel,  comprehend  the  whole  of  their  posses- 
sion!. 

The  Aleutes  were  silent  at  first  when  I  inquired  if  they  were  treated 
kindly  by  -their  employers,  though  they  frankly  acknowledged  that 
they  were  better  off  than  when  under  the  rule  of  the  Russian  Fur  Com- 


94  REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

pany,  and  their  houses  were  improved,  but  as  that  was  a  condition  of 
serfdom  it  was  not  saying  much. 

The  price  they  paid  for  goods  and  provisions  was  not  high,  consider- 
ing the  distance  they  were  brought,  it  being  about  one-third  more 
than  at  San  Francisco. 

Several  of  the  children  could  play  skillfully  on  the  accordeon,  and  this 
I  found  to  be  a  favorite  instrument  among  them.  The  women  are  very 
handy  with  the  needle,  some  of  their  embroidery  and  sewing  being  as 
good  as  that  done  by  any. 

MONOPOLIES. 

The  men  said  there  were  two  sets  of  employers  for  whom  they  worked 
on  the  island,  though  of  late  they  had  put  the  seal  skins  of  both  firms 
in  one  store-house,  and  all  things  appeared  to  be  in  common.  These 
two  firms  obtained  from  Mr.  McCullough,  late  Secretary  of  the  Treas- 
ury, permission  to.  place  two  men  on  the  islands,  ostensibly  to  take  care 
of  their  buildings  only.  All  other  persons  or  firms  are  forbidden  to  land, 
the  act  of  Congress  of  last  year  expressly  prohibiting  the  killing  of  any 
fur-seals.  (See  Appendix  X.) 

This  apparent  partiality  in  favor  of  the  two  above-named  firms  pro- 
vokes wide-spread  dissatisfaction  on  the  Pacific  coast,  and  probably  ac- 
counted for  a  great  deal  of  the  scandal,  so  general  among  the  people 
out  there,  in  regard  to  the  reported  irregularities  supposed  to  be  prac- 
ticed on  those  islands. 

Having  noted  the  above  statements  of  the  Aleutes,  I  left  them  and 
went  to  call  on  the  officers  and  present  my  letter  of  introduction  from. 
General  Davis  and  authority  from  the  President.  I  met  the  lieutenant, 
the  revenue  officer  in  charge  on  the  island,  in  company  with  Colonel 
Frank  W.  Wicker,  in  the  salt-house.  They  had  just  come  down  from 
headquarters.  Colonel  Wicker  asked  the  lieutenant  how  many  skins 
were  in  that  salt-house.  I  understood  the  lieutenant  to  say,  in  reply,  about 
twenty-eight  thousand.  Colonel  Wicker  then  asked  if  that  was  the 
only  house  in  which  skins  were  stored.  The  lieutenant  replied  that 
there  was  one  other  at  the  other  side  of  the  village,  in  which  there  was 
about  two  thousand  skins.  Colonel  Wicker  then  said,  "And  that  is  all 
there  are  at  present  on  the  island  ? "  The  lieutenant  answered,  "  Yes." 
It  was  then  near  dark  and  we  left  the  store-house,  took  our  yawl  and 
went  on  board  the  steamer. 

The  wide  discrepancy  between  these  two  statements  of  the  lieutenant 
and  the  Aleutian  Islanders  caused  me  to  report  the  same  to  Colonel 
Wicker,  and  that  there  might  be  no  misunderstanding  I  put  them 
in  writing  and  officially  addressed  the  note  to  the  colonel. 

It  had  been  our  intention  to  leave  the  next  morning,  but  these  con- 
tradictory statements  caused  the  colonel  and  Captain  Evans  to  remain 
another  day  and  make  an  examination  of  the  island. 

The  next  morning,  Saturday,  October  9,  we  landed  through  a  very 
heavy  surf,  and  Colonel  Wicker  commenced  making  his  examinations, 
asking  me  to  assist  in  the  measurements,  the  lieutenant  in  charge  of 
the  revenue  on  the  island  and  Captain  Evans,  of  the  Lincoln,  being 
present.  We  measured  one  pile,  carefully  counted  the  number  of  skins 
in  it,  took  that  as  a  standard,  and  then  measured  carefully  the  other 
piles. 

THREE    SAILORS  DROWNED. 

While  we  were  engaged  in  examining  the  two  houses  near  the 
village,  word  came  that  two  vessels,  a  schooner  and  a  bark,  were  hover- 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS.  95 

ing  off  the  island.  This  called  away  Captain  Evans.  Colonel  Wicker 
and  myself  completed  the  measurements.  We  had  hardly  finished  this 
part  of  our  work  before  we  heard  the  cry  that  one  of  our  boats  with  a 
crew  of  five  men  in  it  was  capsized  in  the  surf,  and  we  hurried  down  to 
the  beach  only  to  see  them  struggling  helplessly  in  the  surf  an  eighth 
of  a  mile  away.  Captain  Evans  and  a  crew  of  ten  volunteer  Aleutes 
were  vainly  endeavoring  to  get  near  them  in  the  only  boat  at  hand. 
Above  the  roar  of  the  tumultuous  seas  could  be  heard  the  piteous  cries 
of  the  drowning  men,  and  there  was  no  adequate  means  at  hand  to  save 
them.  The  Aleutes,  after  several  narrow  escapes  from  swamping,  gave 
up  the  effort,  and,  rowing  behind  the  ledge  of  rocks  toward  which  the 
drowning  men  were  drifting,  leaped  from  their  boat,  and  at  the  risk  of 
their  lives  went  through  the  breakers  and  brought  the  bodies  ashore. 

The  officers  of  the  government  and  the  agents  of  the  traders  on  the 
island  were  unremitting  in  their  efforts  to  save  the  lives  of  the  men, 
but  three  of  them  were  dead,  and  we  had  great  difficulty  in  restoring  to 
life  the  two  others. 

THE  FUR-SEALS. 

This  painful  incident  occupied  us  for  several  hours,  and  it  was  afternoon 
before  we  were  able  to  start  across  the  island  to  visit  "  Southwest  Bay 
House,"  five  miles  distant.  Our  party  was  Colonel  Wicker,  Joseph,  the 
interpreter,  an  Aleute  of  the  island  as  guide,  and  myself.  We  walked 
over,  and  found  the  path  led  along  by  the  shore  through  half  a  dozen  large 
seal  rookeries.  From  a  count  and  measurement  we  made  we  must  have 
passed  by  on  this  shore,  five  miles  long,  nearly  a  million  of  seals,  and  yet 
this  is  not  one-half  of  the  space  they  occupy  on  St.  Paul's  Island.  They 
were  of  all  sizes,  from  the  young  pup,  about  as  big  as  a  very  large  cat,  to  the 
old  males,  as  large  as  a  cow.  Their  color  varies  from  a  gray-brown  of  the 
old  ones  to  a  dark- brown  in  the  young  pups.  The  females  seem  shorter 
in  the  neck,  and  had  the  wide  pelvis  common  to  the  sex.  They  meas- 
ure, by  guess,  about  five  feet  in  length.  The  male  seal  is  much  larger, 
measuring  seven  or  eight  feet  in  length,  and  weighing  over  a  thousand 
pounds.  Some  of  these  were  on  guard,  others  were  in  the  water.  I 
saw  nothing  of  that  systematic  herding  of  families  by  the  old  males 
referred  to  by  the  Eussian  authorities,  probably  because  it  was  so  late 
in  the  season.  The  bachelors,  ;*s  the  young  males  of  four  or  five  years 
are  called,  were  swimming  along  shore,  and  moving  with  the  crowd  of 
old  and  young  on  the  plateaus  above.  Some  of  them  could  be  seen  for 
half  a  mile  on  the  hill-tops  inland,  three  or  four  hundred  feet  above  the 
sea.  These  plateaus  extend  from  the  base  of  the  hills  to  the  sea,  a  dis- 
tance of  five  hundred  yards.  As  the  islands  are  volcanic,  the  sand  is 
broken  at  intervals  with  black  volcanic  rock  cropping  out.  The  seals 
appear  to  like  these  stones,  and  clambered  over  them  with  great  facility, 
considering  the  peculiar  formation  of  their  flippers.  The  assertion  that 
the  fur-seal  eats  but  little  food  from  June  to  September  may  be  true ; 
certainly  there  was  little  or  no  offensive  excrement  even  in  October, 
when  I  believe  it  is  acknowledged  that  they  do  get  some  food  from  the 
water. 

There  were  myriads  of  young  pups  along  shore  and  in  the  water,  and 
they  are  most  beautiful  animals.  They  will  not  always  run  at  your 
approach,  though  generally,  if  they  are  between  you  and  the  water,  they 
will  hurry  oft'  to  the  water.  We  saw  but  few  sea-lions.  Our  guide  in- 
formed us  that  they  frequented  the  northeast  point  more,  though  there 
had  not  been  as  many  there  as  usual.  The  Aleutes  seemed  to  regard 


96  REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

their  absence  as  an  ill  omen.  It  seems  that  some  years  since  all  the 
seals  left  these  Pribilov  islands  and  went  to  Behring  and  Copper  islands, 
on  the  Russian  coast.  As  the  Russians  reserved  these  two  islands  in 
the  sale  of  Alaska,  there  is  some  solicitude  lest  the  seals  should  get 
frightened  away  and  go  there  again.  The  old  sea-lions  are  regarded  as 
the  pioneer  or  picket  guards  of  the  fur-seal,  and  their  absence  is  looked 
upon  with  distrust. 

The  skin  of  the  sea-lion,  as  well  as  the  flesh,  is  highly  prized ;  the 
former  for  covering  bidarkas  or  canoes,  and  the  latter  for  food.  These 
huge  animals  are  usually  killed  with  a  musket  ball. 

The  seal  pup  is  born  usually  in  the  months  of  July  and  early  part  of 
August,  about  a  fortnight  after  the  mothers  have  arrived  on  the  island. 

The  males  arrive  about  the  middle  of  June,  and  the  yearling  pups  fol- 
low their  mothers  the  latter  part  of  July.  The  young  pups  are  said  to 
be  in  no  hurry  to  go  into  the  water,  the  parents  having  to  force  them  in 
at  first,  when  their  elder  brothers,  the  bachelors,  take  charge  of  them 
and  teach  them  to  swim. 

In  killing  the  seal,  the  two  and  three-year  old  male  pups  are  chosen, 
both  for  the  quality  of  their  fur,  lightness  of  the  pelt,  and  to  preserve 
the  supply.  The  hunters  get  between  the  herd  and  the  water,  which  is 
a  very  easy  thing  to  do,  and  drive  them  a  short  distance  inland  toward 
the  salt-houses,  when  they  select  their  animals,  and  with  a  hard  wooden 
club  tap  them  a  light  blow  on  the  nose  or  head,  and  so  kill  them.  Care 
has  to  be  taken  in  the  driving  not  to  overheat  the  animals,  so  as  to 
loosen  the  fur  and  ruin  the  skin ;  generally  they  are  allowed  to  rest 
awhile  before  the  killing  commences.  The  guide  explained  to  us  that 
in  the  skinning  all  the  Indians  had  a  common  interest,  each  Aleute  doing 
his  best  and  sharing  the  receipts ;  the  chief  receiving  an  extra  portion. 

On  our  way  we  passed' a  number  of  the  slaughter  places.  They  were 
much  nearer  the  rookeries  and  the  shore  than  the  descriptions,  and  the 
much-talked-of  necessary  precautions  against  frightening  the  animal, 
would  lead  you  to  suppose.  In  some  cases  they  were  not  a  hundred 
yards  from  the  rookeries,  and  the  dead  bodies  were  within  easy  reach  of 
the  rambling  bachelor  seals.  Large  quantities  of  meat  were  wasted,  and 
in  many  instances  even  the  fat  was  not  cut  off.  The  meat  of  the  seal  is 
of  excellent  flavor — I  should  think  quite  equal  to  mutton.  Our  sailors 
eat  it  with  relish,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  it  could  be  salted,  preserved, 
shipped  in  casks,  and  soon  find  a  marliet.  As  it  now  lies  rotting  on  the 
fields,  the  smell  is  most  offensive,  and  as  one  of  the  slaughter  pens  is 
immediately  near  the  village,  the  marvel  is  that  it  has  not  bred  a  con- 
tagious disease. 

In  some  places  where  these  seals  have  been  thus  killed,  and  the  car- 
casses allowed  to  rot  for  many  years,  I  should  think  the  soil  would  be 
as  valuable  a  fertilizer  as  guano.  The  great  rank  grass  grows  above 
these  slaughter  places  in  rich  luxuriance.  As  ballast  it  might  pay  to 
transport  to  the  southern  ports. 

We  found  quite  a  large  lot  of  skins  in  this  "Southwest  Bay"  house, 
and  the  guide  assured  us  that  the  building  had  been  full  and  emptied 
about  a  mouth  before,  the  skins  having  been  carried  on  board  a  steamer. 

The  skins  were  packed  in  piles  with  the  fur  turned  inwards,  and  salt 
put  in  between  each  skin.  After  being  allowed  to  remain  awhile,  they 
are  taken  up,  refolded,  and  with  fresh  salt  made  ready  for  shipment. 

A  large  surf  boat,  made  of  the  skins  of  the  sea-lion,  is  used  to  carry 
them  out  to  the  vessels. 

On  our  return  we  passed  by  a  lake  of  beautiful  clear,  cold  water,  from 
which  the  natives  obtain  the  supply  for  their  village — nearly  a  mile 


REPORT   OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN   AFFAIRS.  97 

distant.  Half  of  this  distance  they  carry  it  in  boats  by  water.  When 
St.  Paul  Island  and  its  immense  source  of  income  is  properly  cared  for 
by  our  government,  an  aqueduct  of  simple  construction  should  be  built 
to  convey  this  water  to  the  town. 

There  was  no  school  worth  the  name  on  the  island.  The  Eussiau 
foreman  of  one  of  the  traders  professed  to  call  a  class  of  five  or  six 
together  at  irregular  hours  j  but  I  found  he  thought  but  little  of  it,  and 
the  natives  regarded  it  of  still  less  value.  They  asked  for  schools  and 
teachers  earnestly. 

The  priest,  who  officiates  in  a  neatly-built  church,  receives  one  hundred 
and  thirty  dollars  per  annum.  He  is  not  in  orders,  and  hardly  ranks  as 
a  deacon  in  the  church.  The  priest  from  Unalaska  occasionally  comes 
up  and  administers  the  sacrament. 

The  chiefs,  of  whom  there  are  two,  get  forty  dollars  a  month  extra  pay, 
and  the  workmen  are  divided  into  three  classes  of  different  degrees  of 
expertness  or  character.  Thieving  and  misdemeanors  other  than  drunk- 
enness are  unknown  among  the  Aleutes. 

On  our  return  we  found  our  guide  greatly  agitated  at  the  prospect  of 
punishment,  which  he  feared  he  would  receive  from  the  United  States 
officials  on  the  island  for  showing  us  the  path  over  to  the  remote  salt- 
house.  We  assured  him  that  his  fears  were  groundless,  but  this  did  not 
quiet  his  anxieties. 

There  were  some  cattle  and  sheep  on  the  island,  and  we  found  good 
grazing ;  plenty  of  grass  as  far  as  we  went,  or  could  see.  There  are  no 
trees,  and  the  hills  are  not  generally  steep.  A  few  of  the  highest,  at 
a  distance,  I  should  say  were  not  over  two  thousand  feet  high.  They 
appeared  covered  with  verdure  to  their  tops.  The  cattle  and  sheep  are 
reported  as  doing  well. 

FUTURE  MANAGEMENT   OF  THE  FUR-SEAL  FISHERIES. 

The  whole  management  of  these  islands,  and  the  obtaining  from  the 
fur-seal  fisheries  a  handsome  income  by  our  government,  is  a  very  simple 
affair.  One  capable  and  honest  man  with  one  or  two  assistants  on  each 
of  the  two  islands,  and  a  force  of  a  dozen  men  well  armed,  under  fixed 
regulations,  forbidding  the  killing  of  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  thou- 
sand seals  annually,  restricting  the  killing  for  the  present  to  the  Aleutes, 
paying  them  a  liberal  compensation,  providing  for  the  sale  of  the  skins 
either  on  the  island,  at  San  Francisco,  or  New  York,  and  exacting  se- 
vere penalties  for  all  violations  of  the  law,  would  regulate  it. 

The  officer  in  charge  should  be  a  first-class  man,  with  a  liberal  salary 
and  under  heavy  bonds,  as  his  life  will  be  an  isolated  one  and  his  temp- 
tations to  dishonesty  great. 

The  proposal  to  lease  the  islands  has  the  objection  that  it  revives 
the  old  fur  company  monopolies,  and  our  people  will  not  be  likely  to 
tolerate  this  ;  and  as  it  will  require  the  same  amount  of  governmental 
watchfulness  and  consequent  expense  to  protect  the  lessors  in  their 
rights,  as  it  would  for  the  government  to  manage  the  concern  itself,  it 
would  seem  practical  economy  for  our  government  to  take  charge  of  the 
business.  Last  spring  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  at  San  Francisco 
appointed  a  committee  to  ascertain  the  facts  in  relation  to  the  fur  seal 
fisheries  of  Alaska,  and  report.  This  report  so  plainly  gives  the  view 
which  is  taken  by  a  large  number  of  people  in  California  that  I  inclose 
it.  See  Appendix  U. 

A  letter  from  Adolph  Muller,  on  the  prices  for  furs  ruling  in  San 


98  REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

Francisco  last  October,  I  append,  C,  though  other  furriers  assured  me 
that  Mr.  Midler's  prices  were  altogether  too  low. 

But  to  resume  my  narrative.  On  Sunday,  the  10th,  we  buried  our 
three  sailors,  Richard  Livingston,  Lewis  Garlipp,  and  John  Beck,  with 
funeral  honors,  on  the  island.  The  last  rites  had  hardly  been  celebrated 
before  three  Aleutes,  of  their  own  accord,  brought  forward  three  tall 
wooden  crosses,  and  placed  one  at  the  head  of  each  of  the  graves. 

That  afternoon  we  held  a  talk  with  the  Aleutes,  in  the  presence  of  the 
officers  of  the  island  and  of  the  steamer,  and  were  confirmed  in  a  con- 
clusion which  we  had  arrived  at  long  since  in  our  intercourse  with  In- 
dians, namely,  that  they  will  not  state  any  of  their  grievances  in  public 
in  presence  of  the  powders  that  are  set  over  them.  In  this  they  re- 
semble most  poor  and  dependent  people. 

In  the  private  interviews  held  with  them  two  days  before,  five  of  the 
Aleutes  complained  that  they  had  been  brought  from  Kadiak  Island  by 
the  agent  of  one  of  the  firms  on  the  island,  for  a  limited  period ;  that 
the  contract  had  expired  some  time  since,  but  that  the  firm  had  since 
placed  a  hundred  dollars  each  to  their  credit,  and  now  claimed  to  hold 
them  another  year  against  their  will.  The  lieutenant  commanding 
St.  Paul  and  St.  George  Islands,  having  heard  of  this  statement  through 
Colonel  Wicker,  in  a  letter  to  the  colonel  denied  it,  and  declared  that 
the  Kadiak  natives  had  acquiesced  in  the  arrangement. 

VESSELS  SAILING  FOR  SANDWICH  ISLANDS. 

One  of  the  men  complained  that  he  had  been  shipped  as  a  sailor  to 
come  to  these  islands,  and  return  home,  but  that  when  he  arrived 
here  the  vessel  sailed  for  the  Sandwich  Islands,  where  he  did  not  wish 
to  go.  This  last  statement  was  not  denied  by  any  one  present.  If 
our  steamer  could  have  stopped  at  Kadiak  on  our  way  home,  I  would 
have  asked  permission  to  take  this  man  home,  and  have  arranged  the 
best  I  could  for  the  others.  As  it  was,  I  could  only  commend  them  to 
the  considerate  care  of  the  United  States  officers  on  the  island. 

This  meeting,  as  well  as  the  burial  service  of  the  sailors,  was  held 
in  the  open  air.  The  sun  was  shining  clearly,  and  the  weather  was  so 
mild  half  of  the  officers  and  men  had  no  overcoats,  and  yet  it  was  the 
10th  of  October,  and  we  were  on  an  island  in  the  Behring  Sea. 

CITIZEN  ALEUTES. 

As  we  were  walking  down  to  the  shore  to  embark,  a  number  of  the 
chiefs  and  head  men  of  the  Aleutes  gathered  around  me,  and  in  private 
asked  me  about  our  form  of  government,  and  whether  it  was  true  "  that 
all  men  were  free  and  equal,"  and  whether  they  would  be  allowed  to 
vote  for  the  President,  or  the  "  emperor,"  as  they  called  him,  thinking  of 
their  former  Russian  government.  I  said  yes,  I  hoped  so.  They  shook 
my  hand  warmly,  and  when  we  left  the  shore  gave  us  three  slow  but 
very  loud  cheers,  which  our  officers  and  men  returned  with  a  will. 

We  then  sailed  for  the  "Northeast  Point,"  fifteen  miles  away,  to  make 
the  final  examination  of  the  skins  stored  in  that  salt-house.  All  along 
this  eastern  shore,  as  on  the  western,  which  we  had  passed  the  day  be- 
fore, myriads  of  fur-seals  were  congregated,  so  that  we  could  not  but 
conclude  there  was  a  large  million  and  a  half  on  the  island.  The  surf 
ran  high  as  we  landed,  and  the  men,  remembering  their  loss  of  the 
day  before,  shook  their  heads  doubtingly  as  they  dashed  us  through  it. 
We  thought  more  about  the  heavy  taxes  of  the  people,  and  whether 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS.  99 

the  Aleutes,  or  our  officers  on  the  island,  were  the  more  accurate  in 
counting  seal-skins.  We  carefully  measured  the  piles  of  skins  in  the 
salt-house,  counted  up  the  figures,  and  found  the  Aleutes  were  right. 
There  were  over  sixty  thousand  skins  on  the  island. 

As  if  reluctant  to  leave  the  three  brave  sailors  who  had  sacrificed 
their  lives  to  duty,  our  good  ship  Lincoln  "  missed  stays,"  turned  her 
face  to  the  island,  remained  immovable  for  a  few  minutes,  and  then 
slowly  obeying  her  helm,  steamed  off  toward  our  home  on  the  other 
side  of  the  republic,  six  thousand  miles  away. 

HOMEWARD  BOUND. 

With  all  sails  set  and  under  a  full  head  of  steam,  we  went  booming 
along  on  our  return  trip  to  Unalaska.  The  air  was  chilly,  and  as  we 
approached  the  volcanic  mountains  surrounding  Illalook  Harbor  they 
loomed  up  ghostly  white  in  snow  through  the  thickening  gray  fog  of  the 
gathering  storm.  We  anchored  that  night  in  the  snug  harbor,  and  the 
next  morning  was  as  clear  and  quiet  as  a  May  day  at  home,  not  a  sign 
of  fog  or  cloud  remaining.  Before  midnight,  however,  the  wind  began 
to  blow  a  gale,  and  by  morning  we  had  dragged  both  anchors  and  were 
stern-up  high  on  a  reef.  We  had  to  lie  there  till  the  turn  of  tide,  and 
it  was  as  much  as  our  propeller  could  do  to  head  the  vessel  off  the  reef 
against  the  gale,  though  the  harbor  is  not  half  a  mile  wide  and  moun- 
tains around  are  two  thousand  feet  high.  The  storm  lasted  thirty-six 
hours,  and  cleared  off  as  suddenly  as  it  arose.  No  steamer  should  allow 
its  steam  to  get  down  while  lying  in  that  harbor  at  this  season  of  the 
year.  What  dangers  the  Aleutes  or  the  missionaries  have  to  encounter 
in  such  a  country,  where  all  the  highways  are  on  the  sea,  you  can 
imagine. 

OF  THE   TRIBES  AND   COUNTRY  AROUND  BRISTOL  BAY.  , 

The  country  was  reported  to  be  like  that  about  Cook's  Inlet,  on  the 
southerly  side  of  the  Alaska  Peninsula,  an  account  of  which  from  Gen- 
eral George  P.  Ihrie  is  appended.  It  is  said  to  be  a  level  and  extensive 
farming  country,  where  vegetables  in  abundance  and  cattle  and  sheep 
can  be  easily  raised.  The  natives  are  said  to  be  healthy  and  in  as  good 
condition  as  any  on  the  coast.  An  account  of  them  in  general  terms  will 
be  found  in  the  report  of  Frank  Mahoney,  who  has  visited  them,  which 
will  be  found  in  the  appendix. 

COOK'S  INLET  AND  KENAI  PENINSULA. 

For  the  following  brief  sketch  of  this  interesting  portion  I  am  indebted 
to  General  George  P.  Ihrie,  who  went  up  there  from  Kadiak  while  I 
went  westward,  and  who  afterwards  rejoined  us  at  Sitka: 

DEAR  COLYER  :  Inclosed  I  give  you  some  rough  notes  from  my  private  journal: 
1869 — Tuesday,  September  28.— Commences  pleasant  and  cloudy.  Off  at  daylight  for 
Fort  Kenai,  situated  on  the  eastern  shore  of  Cook's  Inlet,  near  the  mouth  (right  bank)  of 
Kenai  River,  and  distant  about  two  hundred  miles.  Passed  Barren  Islands,  which  are 
most  appropriately  named,  and  had  a  fine  view  of  Point  Douglas,  about  sixty  miles 
to  westward,  covered  with  snow  from  its  apparent  base  to  its  summit,  and  estimated 
to  be  about  seven  thousand  feet  high.  At  6  p.  m.  came  to  anchor  in  English  Bay,  one 
hundred  and  ten  miles  from  Kadiak.  At  the  entrance  is  a  fur  trading-post,  now  con- 
ducted by  Hutchinson,  Kohl  &  Co. ;  used  to  belong  to  the  Russian  Fur  Company, 
which  sold  the  best  of  the  buildings  to  H.  K.  &  Co.,  and  turned  over  the  poorest  to  the 
United  States  ;  and  this  seems  to  have  been  their  rule  throughout  the  Territory. 
Ends  dark  and  rainy. 

Wednesday,  September  29. — Commences  cloudy  and  windy.    Off  at  6  a.  m.,  with  head 


100          EEPORT    OF   THE    COMMISSION    OX    INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

sea  arid,  wind,  and  came  to  anchor  at  3  p.  m.,  in  Cook's  Inlet,  about  six  miles  from  the 
fort.  The  officers  soon  came  off  to  visit  us,  and  tell  us  we  can  cross  the  bar  at  high 
tide  with  sixteen  feet  of  water.  Saw  two  lofty  volcanoes  to-day,  each  about  twelve 
thousand  feet  high,  and  one  in  active  operation,  emitting  a  cloud  of  dense  black  smoke. 
In  fact,  the  whole  western  coast  of  Cook's  Inlet,  down  through  the  Aleutian  Islands, 
and  across  (but  submerged)  to  Asia,is  nothing  but  a  mass  and  chain  of  volcanic  moun- 
tains, forming  the  connecting  link  between  Asia  and  America.  It  is  the  wildest  and 
most  chaotic  scene  I  ever  witnessed.  The  volcanic  western  coast  of  Mexico  and  South 
America  is  dwarfed  by  Alaska.  And  what  tends  to  heighten  the  awful  grand  view  is 
the  scattering  of  glaciers  in  the  gorges  of  these  volcanoes,  some  of  which  infringe  upon 
the  waters  edge. 

The  eastern  coast  of  the  inlet  is  almost  the  antipodes  of  the  western.  For  Alaska 
it  is  a  strip  or  belt  of  flat  alluvial  laud,  originally  a  sand-spit  and  covered  with  tim- 
ber. About  twenty  miles  eastward,  however,  is  a  chain  of  snow  mountains  from  two 
thousand  to  five  thousand  feet  high.  This  side  of  the  inlet  contains  numerous  ledges 
of  lignite  coal,  with  more  or  less  resin  in  it,  which  generates  too  much  caloric  for 
steamboats  and  railroads.  The  Riissian  Fur  Company  attempted  to  develop  these 
veins,  but  found  it  wouldn't  pay.  Some  of  their  shafts  are  still  visible  at  and  near 
English  Bay.  Ends  cloudy,  with  rain. 

Thursday,  September  30. — Commences  cloudy  but  pleasant,  with  stiff  breeze.  Crossed 
bar  about  11  a.  m.,  and  came  to  anchor  in  Kenai  River,  mooring  to  stationary  anchors. 
Find  a  current  of  seven  knots  an  hour  here  at  the  ebb  and  flood  of  the  tide,  and  sand 
all  around  us ;  pleasantly  located.  Went  ashore  and  found  the  fort  on  a  level  bluff 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  waters  of  the  inlet,  and  covered  with  coarse 
grass  and  small  trees.  It  is  the  only  piece  of  arable  land  larger  than  a  garden  I  have 
seen  in  Alaska,  and  grows  the  hardy  esculents,  but  not  in  perfection.  We  were 
shown  salmon  caught  in  Kenai  River,  four  of  which  filled  a  barrel!  The  meat  is  of  a 
rich  red  color  and  acceptable  flavor.  None  of  the  Alaska  salmon,  however,  can  com- 
pare in  flavor,  according  to  my  palate,  with  the  salmon  of  the  Columbia  River  and  the 
southern  coast  of  Oregon.  Dined  with  the  officers  on  wild  geese  and  ptarmigan,  in 
which  Alaska  abounds,  and  were  shown  the  skin  of  a  monster  brown  bear,  just  killed 
by  the  Kenai  Indians.  Any  quantity  of  black  and  brown  bears  in  the  mountains  to  the 
eastward.  Looking  to  the  west  you  behold  a  perfect  nest  of  sleeping  volcanoes  of  all 
heights  and  sizes,  with  glaciers  of  cerulean  blue  ice  melting  among  them.  Grand 
sight,  this  chaos  !  Americans  can  no  longer  have  a  good  excuse  for  going  to  Europe 
sight-seeing.  A  summer's  trip  to  Alaska,  from  say  1st  of  June  to  1st  of  October,  will 
be  more  interesting  than  a  dozen  trips  to  the  Alps  or  Himalayas. 

The  weather  here  to-day  is  simply  superb,  all  that  heart  could  desire,  and  yet  we  are 
in  the  latitude  of  Cape  Farewell,  the  southernmost  point  of  Greenland  !  It  lasts,  I  am 
informed,  to  the  end  of  October,  when  it  grows  very  cold,  the  mercury  going  down  to 
thirty  or  forty  degrees  below  zero,  and  the  inlet  becomes  full  of  floating  ice. 

lionday,  Octobtr  5. — A  continuance  of  the  genuine  October  weather  of  the  Middle 
States,  and  the  road  from  wharf  to  the  post  very  dusty.  Steamer  almost  discharged, 
and  a  certainty  of  getting  off  to-morrow.  On  duty  on  a  board  of  survey,  to  inspect 
some  of  the  buildings  for  which  the  United  States  paid  two  hundred  thousand  gold 
dollars  to  the  Russian  government.  We  were  shown  a  lot  of  very  old  log  hovels,  and 
recommended  they  be  used  for  firewood  if  possible.  The  best  of  the  late  Russian 
buildings  are  claimed  and  occupied  by  Hutchiusou,  Kohl  &  Co.  There  has  been 
barefaced  swindling,  sufficient  in  connection  with  the  transfer  of  the  "  buildings  "  to 
make  a  saint  swear.  The  long  and  short  of  the  business  is,  the  agent  of  the  Russian 
Fur  Company  disposed  of  the  best  of  the  warehouses  and  residences  to  H.  K.  &  Co., 
and  to  private  individuals,  for  "a  mere  song,"  and  then  turned  over  to  the  agent  of  the 
United  States  the  balance,  which,  with  very  few  exceptions,  for  appearance  sake,  are 
fit  for  firewood  only.  Ugh ! 

Visited  the  Indian  village,  about  one  mile  from  the  post,  and  found  them  and  their 
houses  like  all  the  rest  on  the  coast.  These  Indians  are  like  all  the  others  in  Alaska, 
semi-civilized,  peaceful,  docile,  friendly,  and  anxious  and  willing  to  work.  Justice, 
kind  treatment,  and  prompt  payment  for  services  rendered  will,  in  the  course  of  time, 
change  them  to  law-abiding  and  good  citizens.  They  are  far  superior  in  habits  and 
industry  to  the  crafty,  marauding,  and  wandering  Indians  of  the  plains,  who  scorn  to 
do  anything  but  fight  and  hunt,  leaving  their  squaws  to  do  all  other  kinds  of  work. 

At  midnight  witnessed  the  most  gorgeous  curtain  aurora  borealis  eye  ever  beheld. 
A  rich  green  and  purple  undulating  curtain  seemed  suspended  in  the  sky  as  far  south 
as  twenty  degrees,  and  forming  a  perfect  arc.  At  the  west  end  of  the  curtain  were 
two  perpendicular  columns  of  light,  which  rapidly  traversed  the  curtain  from  west  to 
east,  and  rice  versa,  giving  to  view  every  possible  shade  of  the  two  colors,  and  making 
the  rays  fairly  dance  in  and  by  their  own  light.  Such  a  celestial  sight  Avould  aloue 
compensate  one  for  a  trip  from  Europe  to  Alaska. 

Tuesday,  October  6. — Another  lovely  day.  We  bid  adieu  to  Keuai,  which  is  the  most 
desirable  place  to  live  at,  I've  yet  seen  in  Alaska. 


\ 

REPOET   OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS.         101 
GENERAL    CHARACTER   OF   THE  INDIANS  OF  ALASKA. 

Of  the  general  character  of  the  Indians  of  Alaska  I  have  collected 
evidence  from  many  sources.  It  is  wholly  from  those  who  have  visited 
the  Indians  at  their  homes  in  Alaska,  and  who  speak  from  personal 
observation  and  knowledge.  Coming  from  such  men — from  traders, 
trappers,  merchants,  and  officers  of  the  government — it  will  command 
that  respect  which  its  origin  deserves. 

First  among  these  in  extended  experience  comes  Mr.  Frank  Mahoney, 
who  has  been  among  them  for  the  last  sixteen  years.  Mr.  Mahoney  says 
of  the  natives  of  the  interior,  from  the  Yukon  to  the  Copper  River,  num- 
bering five  thousand  souls :  "They  are  a  peaceable  race,  and  respectful 
to  the  white  man,  looking  upon  him  as  a  superior.  There  is  no  doubt 
but  that  in  time  they  could  be  shaped  into  useful  citizens." 

Of  the  Aleutian  islanders,  numbering  seven  thousand  souls,  he  says : 
"They  are  a  very  quiet  race,  and  nearly  all  Christians,"  (members  of  the 
Russo-Greek  church.) 

Of  the  Indians  at  Cook's  Inlet  he  says :  "  They  are  a  very  sociable 
race  of  Indians."  They  number  about  eight  hundred,  and  are  called 
Kaneskies. 

East  of  Cook's  Inlet,  down  on  Prince  William's  Sound,  there  are  "about 
four  hundred  ]Suchusks,"  while  those  "on  the  Copper  River  are  called 
Xadnuskys."  These,  together  with  the  Koloshans  of  the  southeastern 
coast,  numbering  eleven  thousand  nine  hundred,  he  considers  warlike. 

For  /he  remainder  of  Mr.  Mahoney's  report,  which  is  full  of  interesting 
infornc.^ion,  see  appendix  C,  Xo.  2. 

Hor...  >\7illiam  S.  Dodge,  ex-mayor  of  Sitka,  says  of  the  Alaska  Indians, 
as  a  whole,  "that  they  are  not  at  all  to  be  compared  to  the  Indians  in- 
habiting the  interior  of  our  country,  or  even  to  those  living  on  the  bor- 
bers  of  the  Great  Lakes.  They  are  of  a  very  superior  intelligence,  and 
have  rapidly  acquired  many  of  the  American  ways  of  living  and  cooking. 
Their  houses  are  clustered  into  villages,  very  thoroughly  and  neatly  built, 
and  far  more  substantial  and  pretentious  than  the  log  houses  usually  con- 
structed by  our  hardy  backwoodsmen." 

In  this  description  Mr.  Dodge  includes  the  Stycknies,  Kakes,  Kootze- 
noos.  and  the  Koloshan  tribes  generally. 

Of  the  Sitkas  Mr.  Dodge  says:  "  They  supply  Sitka  with  its -game, 
fish,  and  vegetables,  such  as  potatoes,  turnips,  beets,  and  radishes,  and 
they  are  sharp  traders." 

Mr.  Frank  K.  Louthan,  post  trader  at  Sitka,  says  of  the  Sitkas:  "They 
are  industrious  and  ingenious,  being  able  to  imitate  admirably  almost 
anything  placed  before  them."  He  tells  of  their  "  chopping  and"  deliver- 
ing one  thousand  cords  of  wood  for  the  United  States  quartermaster, 
under  many  disadvantages,  as  well,  if  not  better,  than  it  would  have 
been  done  by  the  same  white  labor,  under  similar  circumstances." 

Mr.  Louthan  further  says :  "  That  our  Indians  are  susceptible  of  a  high 
standard  of  cultivation  I  have  no  doubt."  "This  can  only  be  done  by 
the  aid  of  industrial  and  educational  schools.  The  missionary  is  work- 
ing to  good  advantage  at  Vancouver  Island  and  at  Fort  Simpson,  in 
whose  schools  can  be  found  men  and  women  of  high  culture  and  refine- 
ment, fit  to  grace  almost  any  position  in  life."  "The  Koloshaus,  our 
own  Indians  from  Tongas  to  the  Copper  River,  are  quite  as  intelligent 
and  easy  of  culture,  needing  only  the  same  liberal  system  of  education 
to,  in  a  very  short  time,  utilize  them  for  every  purpose  of  government 
and  usefulness."  (See  full  report  of  F.  K.  Louthan,  Appendix  C.) 


102  REPOET    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

Of  the  natives  on  the  river  Yukon  Captain  Charles  W.  Raymond  says: 
"  The  Kaviacks  and  Mahlmutes  are  healthy,  vigorous,  fine  looking  men." 
Of  the  coast  Indians  near  the  Auric  River  he  says:  "They  are  kind, 
peaceable,  generous,  and  hospitable  without  an  exception ;  their  guest 
can  ask  11,0  favor  which  they  deem  too  great ;  the  warmest  bed,  the  most 
comfortable  corner  of  the  room,  the  largest  dish,  is  always  for  the 
stranger."  And  then  he  tells  a  beautiful  story  of  their  hospitality  to  his 
party,  for  which  I  refer  you  to  his  interesting  report. 

I  might  multiply  extracts,  but  must  not  lengthen  my  report  too  much, 

OF    THE    INDIAN    LAW    OF    MEMBERS    OF    A    FAMILY    AVENGING    THE 
MURDER   OF   THEIR  RELATIVES. 

Mr.  Frank  K.  Louthan  gives  us  in  his  report  an  instructive  account 
of  the  Indian  method  of  avenging  the  murder  of  their  blood  relations. 
He  says : 

The  failure  to  promptly  pay  for  a  real  or  supposed  injury  is  at  once  the  signal  for 
retaliation.  I  can  but  look  with  great  favor  upon  the  system  on  the  part  of  the  govern- 
ment of  adapting  itself  to  the  one  idea  "immediate  settlement"  with  their  people  for  all 
wrongs  of  magnitude,  (whether  on  the  part  of  the  military  or  the  individual,)  entirely 
upon  estimated  value.  This  is  the  time-honored  custom  of  the  red  man  in  Alaska,  and 
pertains  to  all  alike,  wherever  dispersed  throughout  the  vast  Territory. 

At  present  it  is  more  than  folly  to  attempt  to  induct  him  into  any  other  way  of  look- 
ing at  a  wrong  or  injury.  Authority,  with  definite  instructions  to  our  rules,  whether 
civil  or  military  to  in  this  way  settle  all  disputes,  especially  when  life  has  been  taken 
will  always  keep  him  (the  Indian)  peaceable  and  friendly,  and  in  the  end  save  to  the 
government  many  notable  lives  and  a  large  expenditure  of  treasure. 

I  am  led  to  these  reflections  by  observing  that  in  this  way  the  Hudson's  Bafy  (  >mpany 
and  the  old  Russian  American  Fur  Company  have  for  nearly  a  century  lived  in  «X«npara- 
tive  security  among  the  Pacific  Coast  Indians,  failing  in  but  five  instances  a  confidence 
betrayed,  property  or  life  endangered.  Again,  my  own  personal  experience  is  a  powerful 
example  of  the  system  of  such  a  course.  Last  New  Year's  eve  a  difficulty  occurred  at 
the  market-house  in  Sitka,  between  a  Chilkaht  chief  and  a  soldier  sentinel,  which  re- 
sulted in  the  imprisonment  in  the  guard-house  of  the  chief,  and  through  some  unaccount- 
able manner  the  death  by  shooting,  in  a  day  or  two  afterwards,  of  three  Indians.  For  full 
account  of  these  early  difficulties  I  refer  you  to  a  report  of  General  J.  C.  Davis,  made 
about  that  time. 

Among  the  Indians  killed  was  one  Chilkaht,  one  Kake,  and  one  Sitka.  The  Kakes 
very  promptly  sought  the  usual  remedy ;  but  failing  to  satisfy  themselves,  adopted 
their  extreme  remedy,  ".an  eye  for  an  eye,  a  tooth  for  a  tooth;"  meeting  two  white  men 
near  their  village,  promptly  dispatched  them,  and  thereby  lost  all  of  their  village, 
burned  by  order  of  the  general  commanding.  Hence  the  so-called  '"Kake  war." 

For  nearly  five  months  no  coast  or  interior  Indians  appeared  among  us,  to  the  great 
detriment  of  trade,  the  Chilkahts  especially  keeping  themselves  aloof  from  us  all  winter. 
Well  knowing  the  chief  and  the  most  of  his  people  I  determined  to  pay  them  a  visit  for  pur- 
poses of  trade,  and  to  restore  friendly  relations.  With  a  small  schooner  I  reached  their 
village  in  May  last,  and  found  them  sullen  and  listless,  and  effected  but  little  in  any 
.-.hape  for  several  days.  At  the  end  of  the  fourth  day  our  little  vessel  was  suddenly 
boarded  by  about  seventy-five  well-armed  men,  bent  on  satisfaction,  either  in  prop- 
erty or  life,  for  the  man  killed  at  Sitka  nearly  five  mouths  previous.  The  exigencies 
of  my  situation  required  prompt  and  immediate  action. 

Asking  from  our  closed  cabin  an  audience,  and  it  being  granted,  I  stepped  out  among 
them  with  my  interpreter,  an  Indian,  and  whilst  protesting  against  their  wish  that  I 
should  pay  for  what  had  been  done  by  our  military  chief  at  Sitka,  satisfied  them  by 
giving  them  a  letter  to  the  general  commanding,  asking  him  for  the  sake  of  trade  and 
security  to  life  to  pay  for  the  man  killed,  giving  my  promise  to  the  Indians  to  pay  for 
the  dead  man  if  the  general  refused. 

The  general  refused  to  listen  to  the  delegation  waiting  on  him  with  my  letter.  I 
returned  with  my  vessel  again  to  Sitka  and  to  Chilkaht,  when  I  promptly  paid  the  price 
asked,  thirteen  blankets  and  one  coat,  amounting  in  value,  all  told,  to  about  fifty 
dollars  coin.  I  feel  quite  sure  that  in  this  simple  settlement  I  arrested  serious  trouble 
to  myself,  and  probably  to  the  government. 

1  made  afterward  a  similar  settlement  with  the  Chilkahts  in  Sitka  for  one  of  their 
men,  killed  by  a  young  man  in  my  employ.  I  can  safely  say  that,  dealt  with  in  this 
way,  there  need  never  be  any  serious  complication  of  Indian  affairs  in  this  territory. 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS.          103 

THE  SCENERY   OF  ALASKA. 

f 

(The  sketches  referred  to  in  this  article  are  not  engraved.) 

On  the  eastern  coast  the  thickly  wooded  foot-hills  are  covered  to  their 
tops  with  the  Douglas,  Menzies,  and  Mertens  spruce,  trees  varying  from 
100  to  250  feet  in  height,  and  stout  in  proportion ;  white  cedar,  sometimes 
150  feet  high ;  large  leaved  maple,  and  others,  while  there  and  to  the 
westward,  on  the  Keuai  Peninsula,  the  Aleutian  Islands,  and  the  coasts 
of  Bristol  Bay,  strips  of  low  land  skirt  the  base  of  the  mountains,  and 
on  these  cattle  and  sheep  browse  and  fatten.  It  is  this  variety  of  lofty 
mountain,  gently  undulating  lowlands,  and  clear,  deep  streams,  lake,  or 
sea,  that  makes  the  scenery  of  Alaska  so  attractive. 

The  sketches  Nos.  13  and  20,  Wrangel  Harbor,  Alaska,  and  No.  14, 
Moonlight  in  Sitka  Harbor,  will  give  you  but  a  poor  idea  of  the  beauty 
of  the  scenery,  yet  you  can  easily  see  what  a  chance  there  is  in  such  a 
country  for  an  active,  enterprising,  intelligent  race  of  people.  The 
Indians  of  Alaska,  considering  their  slight  opportunities,  surpass  all 
others  on  this  continent  except  the  Pueblas  of  New  Mexico,  and  deserve 
our  most  considerate  attention.  Some  idea  of  the  purity  of  the  atmos- 
phere when  the  fogs  clear  away  may  be  formed  by  referring  to  sketch 
No.  15,  view  of  Mount  Fairweather,  taken  at  sea  124  miles  from  its 
base.  Few  places  in  the  world  could  allow  of  objects  being  seen  with 
distinctness  at  such  a  great  distance.  You  will  notice  under  this  sketch 
the  names  of  General  Davis  and  other  officers  of  this  department, 
vouching  for  the  uncommon  phenomenon.  Some  travelers  assure  us 
that  they  have  seen  these  mountains  as  far  as  Ungi,  200  miles. 

No.  18  is  a  sketch  of  a  cascade  near  Tongas,  as  beautiful  a  little  gem 
of  a  waterfall  as  can  be  seen  anywhere. 

LOCATION   OF  INDIAN  VILLAGES. 

Indian  villages  are  generally  located  on  these  low  hills,  at  the  base  of 
high  mountains,  as  seen  in  sketches  16  and  17,  and  their  appearance  is 
picturesque  in  the  extreme.  Being  close  by  the  water,  all  their  jour- 
neying is  done  by  canoes,  in  the  management  as  well  as  the  construc- 
tion of  which  they  are  adepts.  To  see  them  by  the  dozen  plying  with 
skill  their  short,  broad  paddles,  and  sending  their  light  and  graceful 
looking  bidarkas  so  swiftly  through  the  water,  is  a  sight  to  remember. 

FISHERIES  OF  ALASKA. 

The  Indians  bring  halibut,  codfish,  flounders,  salmon,  clams,  sinelt,     J 
whortleberries,  wild  currants,  venison,  bear  skins,  marten,  mink,  lynx, 
fox,  and  other  skins  for  sale.     At  Sitka  or  Wrangel  they  sell  a  halibut, 
large  size,  for  50  cents,  a  salmon,  25  cents,  or  5  for  $1 ;  deer,  $2 ;  smelts, 
a  peck  for  25  cents,  and  so  on. 

This  country  is  truly  the  fisherman's  paradise,  and  the  Indians  are 
experts  at  the  business.  The  salmon  caught  here  are  so  large  that  five  of 
them  fill  a  barrel,  and  sometimes  only  three  are  sufficient,  and  they  are  so 
plentiful  that  you  can  kick  them  with  your  foot  ashore  at  the  mouth  of 
shallow  mountain  streams,  up  which  they  are  trying  to  swim  to  deposit 
their  eggs.  The  smelt  come  ashore  in  such  quantities  that  you  can  run 
out  on  the  beach,  as  the  surf  recedes,  and  scoop  up  a  bushel  basket  full 
in  ten  minutes.  Our  second  mate  put  down  his  line  from  the  steamer 
at  Kadiak  for  half  an  hour,  and  caught  ten  large  codfish.  At  TJngi, 
on  the  codfish  banks,  near  Chemogau  Islands,  there  are  now  as  many 


104          REPORT   OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

as  thirty  vessels  seen  at  a  time  engaged  in  fishing  for  cod.     (See,  for  re- 
port on  fishing,  by  Carlton  and  otlters,  Appendix  F.) 

Educate  the  Indians  of  Alaska,  and  they  will  supply  the  United 
States  with  fish  and  furs. 

DEMORALIZING  EFFECT  OF    THE  NEAR  PROXIMITY  OF  SOLDIERS  AND 

INDIANS. 

I  have  spoken  of  the  ill  effects  of  the  near  proximity  of  soldiers  to 
the  Indian  villages,  and  of  the  demoralizing  effects  upon  both.  It  is 
the  same  in  all  Indian  countries.  It  appears  to  be  worse  here  because 
more  needless.  Nowhere  else  that  1  have  visited  is  the  absolute  use- 
lessness  of  soldiers  ?o  apparent  as  in  Alaska.  The  only  communication 
being  by  water — there  are  no  roads  by  land — it  follows  that  vessels  suit- 
able for  plying  up  the  inland  seas,  manned  by  a  few  revenue  officers  or 
good,  smart  sailors,  will  do  more  toward  effectually  preventing  lawless- 
ness among  the  Indians,  and  smuggling  or  illicit  trade  with  the  whites 
and  Indians,  than,  five  hundred  soldiers  located  at  post.  Nearly  all  the 
United  States  officers  that  I  have  conversed  with  agree  on  the  above, 
and  recommend  a  reduction  in  the  force  in  this  Territory.  There  are 
five  hundred  here  now,  when  two  hundred  would  be  ample  for  the  whole 
Territory. 

The  soldiers  will  have  whisky,  and  the  Indians  are  equally  fond  of 
it.  The  free  use  of  this  by  both  soldiers  and  Indians,  together  with 
the  other  debaucheries  between  them,  rapidly  demoralizes  both,  though 
the  whites,  having  the  larger  resources,  and  being  better  cared  for  by 
the  government  in  houses,  clothing,  and  food,  endure  it  the  longest. 

Wondering  how  it  was  that  so  much  liquor  found  its  way  into  the 
department,  I  addressed  a  letter  to  the  collector  of  the  port  of  Sitka, 
as  well  as  to  the  captain  of  the  revenue  cutter  Eeliance,  inquiring  what 
was  the  cause.  The  letter  with  the  two  replies  I  inclose,  marked  in 
order,  Appendix  G.  You  will  notice  that  both  of  these  officers  recom- 
mended the  use  of  small  steam  revenue  cutters  to  ply  up  the  bays  and 
inlets  of  the  coast.  Neither  ask  for  more  troops. 

How  much  such  vessels  are  needed,  and  how  grossly  the  law  of  Con- 
gress against  the  introduction  of  liquors  into  this  Territory  is  violated, 
may  be  seen  by  the  communications  from  Captain  Henriques,  relating 
to  liquor  landed  from  schooner  General  Harney,  marked  D,  and  the 
letter  from  Carl  Osche,  relating  to  the  doings  of  the  ship  Cesarowitz, 
marked  D. 

I  sincerely  trust  that  when  our  commission  meets  it  will  recommend 
the  sending  of  two  small  revenue  steam  tugs,  of  the  kind  spoken  of  by 
Captain  Selden  and  Collector  Kapus,  to  this  Territory,  and  also  recom- 
mend that  the  law  of  Congress  prohibiting  the  introduction  of  liquor 
into  the  Territory  be  made  more  stringent  or  be  more  strictly  enforced, 
and  the  introduction  of  liquor  be  as  completely  suppressed  in  Alaska  as 
it  finally  was  in  the  Indian  Territory.  (See  present  law,  Appendix  H.) 

INTERVIEWS  WITH   CHIEFS. 

Thinking  it  well  to  show  the  chiefs  such  respect  as  might  be  in  my 
power,  I  invited  the  chief  of  the  Tongas  and  his  wife  on  board  the  New- 
bern,  and  having  taken  him  through  the  vessel,  showing  him  the 
machinery,  &c.,  I  invited  the  couple  to  dine  with  me.  They  were  evi- 
dently much  pleased.  I  did  the  same  at  Wrangel  and  Sitka  with  the 
two  principal  chiefs  of  the  tribes,  with  this  difference,  that  on  these  occa- 


REPORT   OF   THE   COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN   AFFAIRS.          105 

sions  the  captain  and  ladies  invited  us  to  join  them  at  the  regular  table, 
instead  of  having  a  separate  table  provided  for  us  as  in  the  first  in- 
stance. The  chiefs  ate  with  their  forks;  when  it  came  to  the  pud- 
ding they  used  their  spoons,  and  on  having  the  almonds  and  raisins 
placed  before  them  they  used  their  fingers,  the  same  as  those  around 
them.  In  all  they  behaved  with  perfect  propriety,  and  the  most  fas- 
tidious could  see  nothing  in  their  demeanor  to  find  fault  with.  I  men- 
tion these  trifles  to  show  their  wish  and  ability  to  imitate  white  men. 

I  was  much  pleased  when  I  visited  the  headquarters  of  Major  General 
Davis,  at  Sitka,  to  see  the  large  reception  hall  in  the  old  Eussian  gov- 
ernor's house,  where  the  chief  officers  of  the  Eussian  government  re- 
ceived and  entertained  the  Indian  chiefs  on  their  occasional  and  annual 
visits  to  them. 

RETURN  TO   SITKA. 

At  Sitka  we  again  met  the  United  States  steamer  Newbern,  and  re- 
turned with  her  to  San  Francisco. 

ABUSE   OF  INDIANS  AT  WRANGEL. 

On  my  return  trip  while  stopping  at  Wrangel,  October  29,  Leon  Smith, 
assisted  by  two  half  drunken  discharged  soldiers,  assaulted  an  Indian  who 
was  passing  in  front  of  his  store.  Mr.  Smith ,  ex-confederate  officer,  said  that 
he  was  under  the  impression  (mistaken,  as  he  afterward  admitted)  that 
the  Indian  had  struck  his  little  boy,  and  he  only  shook  the  Indian. 
The  drunken  soldiers  standing  by  then,  of  their  own  accord,  (unsolicited, 
Mr.  Smith  says,  by  him7)  seized  the  Indian,  brutally  beat  him,  and 
stamped  upon  him.  I  had  been  taking  a  census  of  the  village  that 
afternoon,  and  hearing  the  shouts  of  the  party,  met  the  Indian  with 
his  face  badly  cut  and  bleeding  coming  toward  his  home.  I  immedi- 
ately went  to  the  post  and  suggested  to  the  commandant  that  he  should 
have  the  drunken  soldiers  arrested  and  retained  for  trial.  He  sent  a 
lieutenant,  with  two  or  three  men,  "to  quell  the  disturbance,"  the 
Indians  meanwhile  having  become  excited,  and  to  "  use  his  own  discre- 
tion about  arresting  the  men."  Lieutenant returned  soon  after 

without  the  drunken  soldiers,  and  gave  as  his  reason  that  "  the  Indian 
struck  Mr.  Smith's  boy,"  which,  as  I  have  said,  was  disproven. 

The  drunken  men  belonged  to  a  party  of  over  one  hundred  dis- 
charged soldiers  who  had  come  down  on  our  steamer  from  Sitka,  and 
were  on  their  way  to  San  Francisco.  Some  of  them  had  been  drummed 
out  of  the  service  for  robbing  the  Greek  church  at  Sitka,  and  for  other 
crimes.  I  had  informed  the  commandant  of  their  character  the  morning 
after  our  vessel  arrived,  and  suggested  to  him  the  propriety  of  prevent- 
ing any  of  them  from  landing  and  going  to  the  Indian  village.  He 
replied  that  he  had  no  authority  to  prevent  any  one  from  lauding.  I 
was  surprised  at  this,  as  I  supposed  Alaska  was  an  Indian  territory, 
and  that  the  military  had  supreme  control. 

The  day  after  the  assault  upon  the  Indian,  the  commandant  came  on 
board  the  Newbern  and  asked  very  kindly  my  opinion  about  the  pro- 
priety of  attempting  to  arrest  the  two  drunken  soldiers,  but  as  there 
were  over  one  hundred  soldiers  on  board,  and  the  affair  had  occurred  at 
near  twilight,  so  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  recognize  the  men,  the 
impracticability  of  doing  this  at  that  late  hour  was  apparent. 

The  news  of  the  bombardment  of  this  post  by  the  commandant  reached 
us  as  we  close  report.  (See  Appendix  Z,  No.  1.) 


106  EEPOET    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

DANGERS  OF  NAVIGATION  IN  ALASKA  AVATEES. 

"You  ought  to  see  Duncan's  mission  before  you  leave  the  Pacific 
coast,"  said  many  people  to  me  on  the  journey.  It  is  at  Metlacatlah, 
twelve  or  fifteen  miles  above  Fort  Simpson,  near  the  British  bound- 
ary line,  with  Alaska.  "It  is  really  astonishing  what  he  has  done  for 
the  Indians  in  a  short  time,"  said  they.  He  has  a  large  school  for  boys 
and  girls;  a  chapel  for  religious  meetings;  a  market-house  for  the  neigh- 
boring tribes  to  trade  in;  a  prison  for  malefactors;  a  police  made  up  of 
Indians  only,  &c.,  &c.  "  Oh,  you  must  see  it,"  said  they.  "  Well,  Cap- 
tain," said  I  to  Captain  Freeman,  the  obliging  commander  of  the  United 
States  steamer  Newbern,  "I  suppose  it  would  not  be  possible  for  you  to 
stop  there  on  your  way  down  the  coast."  "  No,  sir ! "  said  he,  with  empha- 
sis. I  had  tried  to  get  a  canoe  while  at  Tongas  to  row  across  Nast  Bay, 
but  we  had  not  time  going  up,  so  I  thought  I  should  have  to  let  it  go. 

As  we  were  leaving  Wraugel  Harbor  coming  home,  the  wind  increased 
to  a  gale,  and  we  had  promise  of  what  sailors  call  a  "  dirty  night."  We 
turned  into  our  berths  with  serious  misgivings  of  danger.  The  straits  in 
which  we  were  tossing  were  narrow,  the  vessel  high  out  of  the  water 
from  lack  of  cargo,  and  the  night  pitch  dark.  We  soon  forgot  it  all, 
however,  in  sleep  ;  when  suddenly  we  were  awakened  by  the  ship  com- 
ing to  a  full  stop,  a  tremendous  crash  against  a  rock,  which  nearly 
threw  us  out  of  our  berths.  A  brief  prayer,  a  quiet  putting  away  in 
dressing  of  all  gold,  watches,  and  other  heavy  things  that  might 
encumber  us  in  the  water,  and  we  went  on  deck.  The  storm  was  raging 
wildly — the  rain  and  sleet  swept  horizontally  past  us ;  the  roar  of  the 
breakers  could  be  heard  all  about  us,  but  we  could  see  nothing.  We 
had  two  hundred  souls  aboard,  and  not  enough  small  boats  to  carry  fifty, 
nor  would  they  have  been  of  much  use  if  we  had  more.  The  pilot  said 
the  water  was  coming  in  the  ship  rapidly,  but  that  so  far  the  pumps 
were  keeping  pace  with  it.  So  we  went  down  below,  out  of  the  way  of 
the  faithful  officers  and  men  who  managed  the  ship.  The  storm  lasted 
two  days,  and  then  the  captain  said  he  would  have  to  beach  the  vessel 
at  Fort  Simpson,  and  while  she  was  being  repaired,  I  would  have  time  to 
visit  Mr.  Duncan's  Indian  mission  at  Metlacatlah. 

ME.  DUNCAN'S  MISSION  AT  METLACATLAH. 

Through  the  kind  aid  of  Mr.  Cunningham,  the  head  man  of  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company  at  Fort  Simpson,  a  large  canoe  and  a  crew  of  picked 
young  men  were  secured  to  take  me  fifteen  miles  up  the  coast  to  the 
mission.  The  morning  we  started  was  rainy  and  the  sea  rough,  but  the 
men  managed  the  canoe  so  skillfully  that  we  shipped  but  little  water. 
The  sun  soon  came  out  clear,  and  though  we  had  a  few  heavy  flurries  of 
hail  and  the  wind  was  right  in  our  teeth,  we  had  one  of  the  most  enjoy- 
able excursions  of  my  life. 

We  arrived  at  the  mission  at  three  o'clock,  having  started  at  eight. 
Mr.  Duncan  was  away  on  a  visit  to  another  mission  which  he  looks 
after  up  in  Nast  Bay.  We  landed  at  a  well-constructed  stone  wharf, 
built  for  canoes,  and  passing  up  this  about  one  hundred  feet  ascended  a 
flight  of  steps  and  entered  the  market-house. 

This  market-house  is  a  neat,  well-built  house,  of  about  forty  by  eighty 
feet,  dry,  clean,  and  comfortable.  A  number  of  Indians  were  in  it,  sitting 
beside  their  heaps  of  ulicaii  boxes,  piles  of  bear  and  deer  skins,  fish, 
&c.,  and  seemed  as  contented,  cheerful,  and  enterprising  as  many  white 
people  I  have -seen  in  like  places.  Ascending  from,  the  market  place  a 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS.          107 

flight  of  about  twenty  steps,  which  are  lengthened  out  on  either  side 
along  a  terrace  two  hundred  feet,  you  come  to  the  plateau  on  which  the 
mission  village  is  located. 

The  two  streets  on  Avhich  the  houses  are  built  form  two  sides  of  a 
triangle,  at  the  apex  of  which  the  church,  mission-house,  trading  store, 
market  and  "lock-up"  are  erected. 

The  church  is  octagon  in  form,  and  looks  like  a  locomotive  depot. 
There  was  a  pebble  floor,  and  benches,  with  room  to  accommodate  five 
hundred  people ;  small  windows  around  the  sides  and  light  above,  but 
no  stove  or  other  provision  for  heating  that  I  could  see. 

The  store  was  well  furnished  with  substantial  articles  of  daily  neces- 
sity, and  at  fair  prices.  Tip  stairs  there  was  a  good  stock  of  marten, 
mink,  fox,  bear,  and  beaver  skins,  which  Mr.  Duncan  had  received  in 
exchange  for  the  goods.  The  missionary's  own  residence  is  simple  and 
commodious. 

But  the  chief  interest  is  in  the  construction  and  condition  of  the  dwell- 
ings of  the  Indians.  In  these  Mr.  Duncan  has  shown  much  practical 
good  sense.  Taking  the  common  form  of  habitation  peculiar  to  all  the 
Koloshan  tribes  along  this  coast,  he  has  improved  upon  it  by  introduc- 
ing chimneys,  windows,  and  doors  of  commodious  size,  and  floors  ele- 
vated above  the  ground.  For  furniture  he  has  introduced  chairs,  tables, 
bedsteads,  looking  glasses,  pictures,  and  window  curtains.  In  front  he 
has  fenced  off  neat  court-yards,  and  introduced  the  cultivation  of 
flowers,  while  in  the  rear  of  their  dwellings  are  vegetable  gardens.  Al- 
together the  village  presents  many  instructive  and  encouraging  features. 

Mr.  Duncan  is  invested  with  the  powers  of  a  civil  magistrate  under 
tbe  colonial  laws  of  Great  Britain,  and  is  thus  enabled  to  settle  disputes, 
and  nip  all  petty  misdemeanors  in  the  bud.  He  has  organized  a  police 
of  Indians  and  they  are  said  to  be  well  disciplined  and  effective.  There 
is  a  small  "lock-up"  or  caboose  built  of  logs  in  a  picturesque  form,  in 
which  the  disorderly  are  temporarily  confined. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  Mr.  Duncan-  is  thus  invested  with  the  powers  of 
an  Indian  agent,  teacher,  missionary,  trader,  and  justice  of  the  peace, 
and  as  he  is  considered  an  honest  man,  and  his  books  of  record  are  open 
to  inspection,  among  a  primitive  people  as  Indians  are,  he  can  be  a  most 
efficient  officer. 

OTHER   INDIAN  MISSIONS  IN  BRITISH  COLUMBIA. 

At  Xanimo  there  is  another  most  successful  Indian  mission,  under  the 
care  of  Rev.  Mr.  White,  for  the  Wesleyan  Methodists  of  Canada. 

This  mission  has  a  day  school  and  chapel,  and  whenever  a  family  have 
shown  an  encouraging  desire  for  better  quarters  than  their  Indian  huts 
afford,  the  society  build  cottages  for  them,  and  to  avoid  pauperizing 
them,  take  a  small  annual  payment  until  they  can  gradually  be  released 
from  the  obligation.  In  some  cases  they  present  the  cottage  to  the  In- 
dians outright  for  services  performed;  in  others,  they  furnish  them  with 
the  timber  and  nails  at  reduced  prices.  There  are  now  some  eight  or 
nine  neat  cottages  built  near  the  chapel,  and  about  fifty  or  sixty  children 
and  young  people  attend  school  and  the  church  meetings.  Several  na- 
tive teachers  are  employed,  and  in  a  short  time  many  more  will  be  suffi- 
ciently educated  to  assist. 

The  only  evening  I  had  at  Naiiimo  during  the  brief  stay  of  our 
steam  er  to  coal,  was  very  rainy,  yet  at  the  ringing  of  the  chapel  bell  over 
forty  of  the  scholars  attended,  and  sang  and  recited  with  most  credit- 
able bility.  The  contrast  of  their  advanced  condition — neatly  dressed, 


108          KEPOKT   OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

educated,  and  companionable — with  that  of  the  native  Indians  in  their 
primitive  condition,  of  half  nakedness,  black,  painted  faces,  and  squalor, 
was  encouraging.  These  opposite  conditions  are  in  close  proximity,  the 
mission  being  established  in  the  heart  of  the  village. 

Captain  Freeman  speaks  of  an  island  not  laid  down  in  the  United 
States  charts.  (See  Appendix  S.) 

CLIMATE  OF  SITKA,  ALASKA. 

To  give  you  an  idea  of  the  climate  of  Alaska,  I  inclose  you  a  copy  of 
a  meteorological  register,  given  by  Dr.  Tonner,  of  the  Indian  Hospital 
at  Sitka.  (See  Appendix  I.)  By  that  record  you  will  see  that  there 
were  but  seven  days  of  snow  in  1868,  while  there  were  one  hundred  days 
fair,  one  hundred  days  rainy,  and  the  remainder  cloudy.  The  thermo- 
meter at  no  time  was  lower  than  eleven  degrees  above  zero  in  winter, 
nor  higher  than  seventy-one,  Fahrenheit,  in  summer.  (Appendix  B,  3.) 

You  will  perceive  that  the  thermometer  varies  much  less  than  with 
us,  and  that,  though  there  is  much  rainy  weather  there,  there  are  also 
many  clear  days.  And  Sitka,  where  this  record  was  kept,  is  the  most 
subject  to  rains  of  any  place  in  the  Territory. 

NAMES   OF  TRIBES  AND   THEIR  NUMBERS. 

Major  General  Halleck's  nomenclature  I  have  already  given.  His 
estimate  I  believe  to  be  the  nearest  correct  of  any.  In  all  cases  where 
I  counted  them  the  number  exceeded  the  published  estimates. 

I  did  not  find,  however,  that  marked  difference  between  the  Kolo- 
shians,  Aleutes,  and  Kenais,  as  to  the  "  one  being  peaceable,  the  others 
wild,  warlike,  &c.,'7  which  the  general  speaks  of.  The  Aleutes,  like 
our  Cherokees,  were  fortunate  in  having  faithful  Christian  men  to  work 
for  their  christianization  and  civilization.  The  Koloshians  as  yet  have 
not  been  so  favored;  but  of  the  two  my  observations  lead  me  to  conclude 
that  the  Koloshians  are  the  more  capable. 

To  sum  up  my  opinion  about  the  natives  of  Alaska,  I  do  not  hesitate 
to  say  that  if  three-quarters  of  them  were  landed  in  New  York  as  coming 
from  Europe,  they  would  be  selected  as  among  the  most  intelligent  of 
the  many  worthy  emigrants  who  daily  arrive  at  that  port.  In  two  years 
they  would  be  admitted  to  citizenship,  and  in  ten  years  some  of  their 
children,  under  the  civilizing  influence  of  our  eastern  public  schools, 
would  be  found  members  of  Congress. 

RECOMMENDATIONS.  *   * 

In  conclusion,  I  would  recommend  that,  in  all  our  dealings  with  the 
Indians,  we  shall  "  do  unto  them  as  we  would  they  should  do  unto  us;" 
and  as  the  glorious  fifteenth  amendment  is  now  virtually  secured  we 
should  prepare  the  Indians  to  receive  its  beneficent  protection. 

Securing  to  them,  beyond  the  possibility  of  failure,  (other  than  the  fail- 
ure of  our  government,)  all  their  rights,  tribal  and  individual,  to  lands  or 
moneys  due  them,  with  capable  agents  and  teachers  to  guide  them,  we 
should  provide  schools,  mechanical  tools,  agricultural  implements,  &c., 
everywhere. 

The  wild  tribes  should  not  only  be  placed  upon  reservation,  but 
amply  provided  for  and  protected  when  there. 

Either  the  civil  law  of  the  United  States  should  be  extended  over  all 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS.          109 

the  Indians,  or  a  code  of  laws  at  once  adopted  defining  crime  and  pro- 
viding a  judiciary  and  a  police  force  to  execute  it. 

Magisterial  power  should  be  giveu  to  the  agents  on  reservations,  and 
he  should  have  control  of  the  trading  posts  and  be  held  responsible  for 
the  business  on  his  reservation.  The  pay  of  these  agents  should  be  in- 
creased from  the  present  fifteen  hundred  dollars  to  two  thousand  dollars 
per  annum.  The  present  pay  is  not  sufficient  to  secure  such  a  class  of  men 
as  we  ought  to  have  over  the  Indian  reservations.  As  a  rule,  they 
should  be  married  men.  With  the  employes  of  the  agency,  also,  pref- 
erence should  be  given  to  married  men. 

We  should  endeavor  to  teach  the  children  the  English  language, 
rather  than  to  develop  a  taste  for  their  native  dialect. 

Wherever  a  good  agent  has  been  removed  under  the  recent  general 
changes  I  think  he  should  be  restored ;  as,  for  example,  Rev.  Mr.  Wil- 
bur, of  the  Yakhama  reservations.  There  are  too  few  such  men  for  us 
to  be  able  to  lose  their  services. 

,         IN  ALASKA  TERRITORY. 

The  fur-seal  fisheries  of  St.  Paul  and  St.  George  Island  are  the  key 
to  control  all  the  resources  of  northern  and  western  Alaska  and  the 
forty  thousand  Indians  thereon.  Whichever  party — the  government  or 
the  monopolists — get  control  of  those  fisheries,  with  their  assured  income 
of  half  a  million  of  dollars  yearly,  and  the  commercial  power  which  accom- 
panies it,  will  be  virtually  masters  of  both  the  trade  and  the  Indians 
for  the  next  ten  or  twenty  years.  No  such  monopoly  would  stand,  how- 
ever, that  length  of  time  in  this  country;  the  profound  feeling  against 
it  which  exists  on  the  Pacific  slope,  where  it  is  best  understood,  would 
sweep  it,  and  the  political  party  that  allowed  it,  out  of  power  in  half 
that  time.  But  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  Congress  will  not  be  betrayed  into 
introducing  any  such  system  of  virtual  serfdom  over  so  large  a  portion 
of  these  wards  of  our  government. 

One  general  superintendent  at  department  headquarters,  and  four 
local  agents,  one  at  each  of  the  points  of  Tongas,  Sitka,  Kenai,  Una- 
laska,  and  on  the  Youkon  River,  should  be  appointed,  and  an  appropria- 
tion of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  be  made  for  schools,  medical  at- 
tendance, and  general  industrial  development  of  the  natives.  The 
Russo-Greek  church  should  be  protected,  and  its  teachers  encouraged. 

As  all  the  traveling  is  done  by  water,  the  superintendent  and  agents 
should  be  allowed  free  passage  on  all  government  vessels  in  Alaska 
waters,  wherever  their  duty  requires  it. 

In  my  journey  of  over  ten  months'  duration  and  twenty  thousand 
thousand  miles  of  travel,  through  the  least  frequented  Territories  and 
among  the  Indian  tribes  reported  to  be  the  most  warlike,  I  have  been 
uniformly  treated  with  the  utmost  kindness  by  these  neglected,  misun 
derstood,  and  greatly  abused  people, 
thfully,  yours, 

VINCENT  COLYER, 
United  States  Special  Indian  Commissioner. 

Hon.  FELIX  R.  BRUNOT, 

Chairman  Board  of  Indian  Commissioners. 


110  REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

APPENDIX  A. 
[From  Major  General  Halleck's  report  to  tlie  Secretary  of  War,  1869.] 

NAMES  OP  TRIBES  AND  THEIR  NUMBERS. 

Indian  population. — Most  writers  make  four  general  divisions  of  the  natives  of  Alaska . 
1st,  the  Koloshians ;  2d,  the  Kenaians ;  3d,  the  Aleutes,  4th,  the  Esquimailx.  These 
are  again  subdivided  into  numerous  tribes  and  families,  which  have  been  named  some- 
times from  their  places  of  residence  or  resort  and  sometimes  from  other  circumstances 
or  incidents. 

1.  The  Koloshians. — This  name  is  given  by  the   Russians  to  all  the  natives  who  in- 
habit the  islands  and  coast  from  the  latitude  54°  40'  to  the  mouth  of  the  Atna  or  Cop- 
per River.     The  Indians  of  the  northern  islands  and  northern  coast  of  British  Colum- 
bia belong  to  the  same  stock,  and  their  entire,  population  was  estimated  by  the  early 
explorers  at  25,000.    The  Koloshiaus  in  Alaska,  at  the  present  time,  have  been  subdi- 
vided and  classed  as  follows : 

The  Hydas,  who  inhabit  the  southern  part  of  Alexandria  or  Prince  of  Wales  Archi- 
pelago. They  have  usually  been  hostile  to  the  whites,  and  a  few  years  ago  captured  a 
trading  vessel  and  murdered  the  crew.  They  number  about  600.  These  Indians  are 
also  called  Kaigauies  and  Kliavakaus;  the  former  beiu  >;  near  Kaigan  Harbor,  and  the 
latter  near  the  Gulf  of  Kliavakan. 

In  the  same  archipelago  are  the  Hennegas,  who  live  near  Cape  Pole,  and  the  Chat- 
sinas,  who  occupy  the  northern  portion  ot  the  principal  island.  They  are  said  to  be 
peaceful,  and  to  number  about  500  each,  in  all  about  1,000. 

The  Tongas,  who  live  on  Tongas  Island  and  on  the  north  side  of  Portland  Channel. 
A  branch  of  this  tribe,  called  the  Foxes,  now  under  a  separate  chief,  live  near  Cape 
Fox.  The  two  branches  together  number  about  500. 

The  Stikeens,  who  live  on  the'Stackinc  River  and  the  islands  near  its  mouth.  Al- 
though represented,  as  at  the  present  time,  peaceable,  a  few  years  ago  they  captured  a 
trading  vessel  and  murdered  the  crew.  They  number  about  1,000. 

The  Kakus,  or  Kakes,  who  live  on  Kuprinoft*  Island,  having  their  principal  settle- 
ment near  the  northwestern  side.  These  Indians  have  long  been  hostile  to  the  whites, 
making  distant  warlike  incursions  in  their  canoes.  They  have  several  times  visited 
Puget  Sound,  and,  in  1857,  murdered  the  collector  of  customs  at  Port  Townsend.  They 
number  altogether  about  1,200. 

The  Kous,  who  have  several  villages  on  the  bays  and  inlets  of  Kou  Island,  between 
Cape  Division  and  Prince  Frederick's  Sound.  They  are  represented  as  generally  un- 
friendly to  our  people.  They  are  dangerous  only  to  small  unarmed  trades.  They  num- 
ber, in  all,  about  800. 

The  Koutznous  or  Koushnous,  who  live  near  Kootznere  Head,  at  the  mouth  of  Hood's 
Bay,  Admiralty  Island.  They  number  about  800. 

The  Awks,  who  live  along  Douglas's  Channel  and  near  the  mouth  of  Tako  River. 
They  have  a  bad  reputation,  and  number  about  800. 

The  Sundowns  and  Takos,  who  live  on  the  mainland  from  Port  Houghton  to  the 
Tako  River.  They  number  about  500. 

The  Chilcates  or  Chilkahts,  living  on  Lynn  Channel  and  the  Chilkaht  River.  They 
are  warlike,  and  have  heretofore  been  hostile  to  all  whites,  but  at  present  manifest  a 
disposition  to  be  friendly.  They  muster  about  2,000. 

The  Hoodsua-hoos,  who  live  near  the  head  of  Chatham  Straits.  There  are  also 
email  settlements  of  them  near  Port  Frederick,  and  at  some  other  points.  They  num- 
ber about  1,000.  \ 

The  Hunnas  or  Hooneaks,  who  are  scattered  along  the  mainland  from  Lynn  Canal  to 
Cape  Spencer.  Their  number  is  about  1,000. 

The  Sitkas,  or  Indians  on  Baronoff  Island,  who  were  at  first  opposed  to  the  change 
of  flags,  but  have  since  become  friendly.  These  are  estimated  by  General  Davis  at 
about  1,200. 

If  we  add  to  these  the  scattering  families  and  tribes  on  the  islands  not  above  enu- 
merated, and  the  Hyacks,  who  live  south  of  Copper  River,  we  shall  have  from  12,000 
to  15,000  as  the  whole  number  of  Koloshians  in  the  Territory. 

2.  Ihe  Kenaians. — This  name,  derived  from  the  peninsula  of  Kenai,  which  lies  be- 
tween Cook's  Inlet  and  Prince  William's   Sound,  has  been  applied  to  all  the  Indians 
who  occupy  the  country  north  of  Copper  River  and  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  ex- 
cept the  Aleutes  and  Esquimaux.    The  employ6s  of  the  telegraph  company  repre- 
sent them  as  peaceful  and  well  disposed.    They,  however,  are  ready  to  avenge  any  af- 
front or  wrong.    I  have  not  sufficient  data  to  give  the  names,  locations,  or  numbers  of 
the  several  tribes  of  these  people.     Their  whole  number  is  usually  estimated  at  25,000. 

3.  The  Aleutes. — This  term  more  properly  belongs  to  the  natives  of  the  Aleutian 
Islands,  but  it  has  been  applied  also  to  those  of  the  Schoumagin  and  Kadiak  groups, 
and  to  the  southern  Esquimaux,  whom  they  greatly  resemble.  They  are  generally 


REPORT   OP   THE    COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN    AFFAIRS.         Ill 

kind  and  well  disposed,  and  not  entirely  wanting  in  industry.  By  the  introduction  of 
schools  and  churches  among  these  people  the  Russians  have  done  much  toward  reduc- 
ing them  to  a  state  of  civilization.  As  might  be  expected  from  the  indefinite  charac- 
ter of  the  lines  separating  them  from  the  Esquimaux,  the  estimates  of  their  numbers 
are  conflicting,  varying  from  4,000  to  10,000.  Probably  the  lowest  number  would  com- 
prise all  the  inhabitants  of  the  Aleutian  Islands  proper,  while  if  we  include  the  other 
groups  and  the  peninsula  of  Alaska,  and  the  country  bordering  on  Bristol  Bay,  the 
whole  number  may  reach  as  high  as  10,000. 

4.  The  Esquimaux. — These  people,  who  constitute  the  remainder  of  the  population 
of  Alaska,  inhabit  the  coasts  of  Behring's  Sea  and  of  the  Arctic  Ocean,  and  the  inte- 
rior country  north,  and  including  the  northern  branches  of  Youkon  River.  The  Keua- 
ians  are  said  to  hold  the  country  along  the  more  southerly  branches  of  that  river.  The 
character  of  the  Alaskian  Esquimaux  does  not  essentially  differ  from  that  of  the  same 
race  in  other  parts  of  the  world.  They  are  low  in  the  scale  of  humanity,  and  number 
about  20,000.  These  estimates  make  the  entire  Indian  population  of  Alaska  about 
60,000. 


Eeport  of  Brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel  Robert  N,  Scott,  United  States  Army. 

IKDIANS   LIVING  OK  AND  NEAR  THE   BOUNDARY  BETWEEN  BRITISH   COLUMBIA  AND  THE 
RUSSIAN-AMERICAN  TERRITORY  RECENTLY  CEDED  TO  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Chimpsains. — Living  on  Chimpsain  Peninsula.  Their  principal  village  is  at  Fort 
Simpson,  where  a  Hudson  Bay  post  (the  largest  on  the  coast)  has  been  located  for  some 
30  years.  There  are  about  900  ludians  at  this  point,  living  in  large,  strongly-built 
lodges;  about  600  of  this  tribe  are  at  Metlakahtla,  a  missionary  and  trading  village 
about  15  miles  to  the  southward  of  Fort  Simpson,  on  Chatham  Sound.  Fort  Simpson  is 
a  large  stockade  fort,  armed  with  eight  four-pounder  iron  guns,  but  there  are  now  but 
three  or  four  whites  at  that  station. 

Naas  Hirer  Indians. — Naas  River  empties  into  Portland  Channel  at  about  55°  north 
latitude,  and  about  30  miles  to  the  northward  and  eastward  of  Fort  Simpson. 

Mr.  Cunningham  (the  Naas  ERiver  trader  for  Hudson's  Bay  Company)  was  at  Fort 
Simpson  while  I  was  there,  and  kindly  furnished  such  information  as  I  possess  in 
reference  to  tribes  on  that  and  Skeena  River.  He  estimates  the  total  number  of  Naas 
ludians  at  2,000. 

The  Kakes,  Foxes,  Hydahs,  Tongas,  and  Stikeens  trade  on  the  Naas  for  Onlicoon  oil 
and  other  articles.  The  Naas  Indians  go  into  Portland  Channel  near  its  head  to  catch 
salmon,  which  are  said  to  be  very  abundant. 

There  is  a  tribe  of  about  200  souls  now  living  on  a  westerly  branch  of  the  Naas  near 
Stikeen  River;  they  are  called  "  Lackweips,"  and  formerly  lived  on  Portland  Channel ; 
they  moved  away  in  consequence  of  an  unsuccessful  war  with  the  Naas,  and  now  trade 
exclusively  with  the  Stikeens.  The  Hudson's  Bay  Company  is  making  strong  efforts 
to  reconcile  this  feud,  in  order  to  recover  their  trade.* 

Skeena  Birer  Indians. — Skeeua  River  empties  into  Port  Essington,  about  35  miles  below 
Portland  Channel ;  its  source  is  not  far  from  the  head-waters  of  the  Naas.  The  total 
number  of  Indians  on  the  river  and  its  tributaries  is  reliably  estimated  at  2,400, 
namely : 

Kitsalas 400 

Kitswingahs 300 

Kitsiguchs 300 

Kitspayuchs , 400 

Hagulgets 500 

Kitsagas 500 

Kitswinscolds 400 

The  last  named  tribe  lives  between  the  Naas  and  the  Skeena.  They  are  represented 
as  a  very  superior  race,  industrious,  sober,  cleanly,  and  peaceable. 

Kltatels. — Living  on  the  islands  in  Ogden's  Channel,  about  60  miles  below  Fort  Simp- 
son. They  number  about  300  persons,  and  are  not  considered  very  trustworthy. 
These  people  trade  at  Metlakahtla. 

Hydahs. — This  name  is  given  to  the  Indians  on  the  northern  shores  of  Queen  Charlotte's 
Islands  and  to  all  of  our  Indians  on  Prince  of  Wales  Islands,  except  the  Hermegas 
and  Chatsinahs. 

The  British  Indians  living  along  the  shore  from  Virago  Sound  to  North  Point  and 
Cape  Knox  number  300.  Those  at  Masset's  Harbor  are  also  estimated  at  300. 

The  American  Hydahs  are  called  Ky-ganuies  or  Kliavakans.    They  number  about 

*I  embrace  under  this  heading  all  Indians  who  are  within  easy  access  to  Portland  Channel,  coming  there 
to  trade,  &c.,  or  within  an  area  of  60  miles  north  and  south  of  that  inlet. 


112  REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

600  souls,  and  are  scattered  alon»  the  shore  from  Cordova  to  Tonvel's  Bay.  Quite  a 
number  of  the  men  from  these  tribes  are  employed  about  Victoria  and  in  the  saw-mills 
on  Puget  Sound.  A  few  years  ago  some  British  Hydahs  captured  the  schooner  Blue 
Wing  off  Seattle,  Washington  Territory,  and  murdered  all  the  crew  and  passengers — 
some  five  or  six  persons. 

Tongas. — Not  many  years  ago  this  was  a  warlike  and  numerous  tribe,  and  now  num- 
bers not  more  than  200  souls.  They  hunt,  fish,  and  trade  among  the  islands  and  on  the 
northern  shores  of  Portland  Channel.  Their  principal  village  is  on  Tongas  Island,  to 
which  reference  is  made  elsewhere. 

There  is  no  Indian  bureau  with  attendent  complications. 

There  is  no  pretended  recognition  of  the  Indian's  "  title"  in  fee  simple  to  the  lands 
over  which  he  roams  for  fish  or  game.  Intoxicating  liquors  were  not  introduced  among 
these  people  so  long  as  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  possessed  the  monopoly  of  trade. 

Prompt  punishment  follows  the  perpetration  of  crime,  and  from  time  to  time  the 
presence  of  a  gunboat  serves  to  remind  the  savages  along  the  coast  of  the  power  of 
their  masters.  Not  more  than  two  years  ago  the  Fort  Rupert  Indians  were  severely 
punished  for  refusing  to  deliver  certain  criminals  demanded  by  the  civil  magistrate. 
Their  village  was  bombarded  and  completely  destroyed  by  her  Britannic  Majesty's  gun- 
boat Clio. 

As  the  result  of  such  a  policy  we  find  trading  posts,  well  stocked  with  everything 
tempting  to  savage  cupidity,  safely  conducted  by  one  or  two  whites  among  distant  and 
powerful  tribes.  There  is  "not  a  regular  soldier  in  all  British  Columbia,  (excepting 
marines  on  shipboard  and  at  Esquiinault,)  and  yet  white  men  travel  through  the 
length  and  breadth  of  the  province  in  almost  absolute  security.  Yet  the  total  number 
of  Indians  in  the  colony  is  estimated  at  40,000,  and  there  are  not  more  than  8,000 
•whites.  f 

Dr.  Tolmie  informed  me  that  Captain  Howard,  of  our  revenue  service,  had  stated  in 
Victoria  that  no  one  would  be  allowed  to  sell  arms  or  ammunition  to  the  Indians  in  our 
Territory.  This  policy,  provided  it  could  be  carried  out,  would  simply  deprive  these 
people  of  the  means  of  gaining  a  livelihood. 

They  nmst  have  guns,  not  only  to  get  food,  but  to  secure  the  furs,  skins,  &c.,  of  the 
northwest  trade.  But  these  Indians  iri/7  get  arms  and  ammunition.  If  our  own  traders 
are  prohibited  from  furnishing  them,  they  can  and  will  get  them  from  British  Columbia, 
and  in  this  event  they  would  naturally  look  upon  the  British  as  their  best  friends.  The 
consequences  of  such  a  state  of  feeling,  as  affecting  our  trade  and  intercourse  with 
them,  may  readily  be  imagined.  Inasmuch  as  most  of  our  trading  intercourse  with 
Alaska  will  be  by  small  vessels  running  through  what  is  called  the  "  inside  passage" 
along  the  coast  of  British  Columbia,  I  deemed  it  advisable  to  collect  such  information 
as  could  be  obtained  in  reference  to  Indians  living  on  and  near  that  route. 

For  convenient  reference  I  submit  herewith  a  copy  of  the  letter  of  instructions 
received  from  Major  General  Halleck.     (Inclosure  A.) 
Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

ROBERT  N.  SCOTT, 
Brevet  Lieut.  Colonel  and  A.  D.  C. 

Brevet  Major  General  JAMES  B.  FRY, 

Adjutant  General  Military  District  of  the  Pacific. 


APPENDIX  B. 
Report  from  Harry  G.  Williams. 

THE   STACHINE  INDIANS. 

FORT  WRANGLE,  ALASKA  TERRITORY,  October  30, 1869. 

DEAR  SIR  :  Immediately  after  leaving  you  on  board  the  steamer  Newbern,  I  was 
snugly  stored  away  as  a  guest  of  the  post  surgeon,  in  his  quarters.  H.  M.  Kirke,  acting 
assistant  surgeon  United  States  Army,  gave  me  a  very  interesting  account  of  the  nature, 
customs,  means  of  livelihood,  occupation,  and  also  of  the  diseases  and  manner  of  their 
treatment  among  the  Stachine  Indians. 

Of  their  nature  he  says,  they  are  very  docile  and  friendly,  ingenious,  and  labor 
well  and  faithfully,  but  by  being  brought  into  contact  with  unprincipled  white  men, 
are  soon  found  to  adopt  and  imitate  their  manners  and  ways. 

In  their  customs  they  still  maintain  the  most  of  those  originally  observed  by  their 
nation.  However,  many  of  them  take  great  pride  in  imitating  civilized  ways  of  dress, 
which  in  their  opinion  renders  them  equally  as  good  as  a  white  man.  Their  means  of 
livelihood  is  chiefly  by  salmon  fishing,  which  they  catch  in  immense  numbers  and  pre- 
pare for  winter  use  by  drying  and  smoking,  after  which  they  are  stored  away  care- 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS.          113 

fully.  Many  of  them  use  flour,  but  prefer  hard  bread  and  crackers  when  they  are  able 
to  obtain  tliem.  They  are  very  fond  of  coffee,  sugar,  and  molasses,  and  like  all  other 
Indians  easily  become  fond  of  ardent  spirits,  to  obtain  which  they  will  sometimes  sac- 
ririce  nearly  everything  in  their  possession.  In  this  manner  they  are  imposed  upon  by 
those  who  know  no  principle  or  law,  who  have  been  known  to  sell  them  essence  of 
peppermint,  Stoughton's  bitters,  and  absinthe,  charging  them  four  dollars  a  bottle, 
(holding  one  pint.)  Absinthe  is  a  compound  which,  if  used  as  a  constant  beverage, 
soon  unseats  the  mind,  produces  insanity,  and  sometimes  death.  Dr.  Kirke  tells  me 
that  he  can  find  none  among  them  who  are  entirely  free  from  the  indications  of  some 
foim  of  disease.  A  large  number  of  them  are  more  or  less  inoculated  with  the  different 
forms  of  venereal  diseases,  which,  had  they  proper  protection,  could  be  avoided.  But  I 
regret  to  say  that  men  cannot  be  blamed  for  following  examples  set  by  their  superiors, 
the  consequence  of  which  is,  the  Indian  women  become  mere  concubines,  at  the  will  of 
those  whose  duty  it  is  to  try  .and  elevate  and  not  degrade  them.  These  women  are 
never  known  to  seek  any  such  degrading  intercourse,  but  permit  it  merely  for  the  pecu- 
niary gain  it  affords  them.  Justice,  honor,  and  manhood  point  the  finger  of  scorn,  and 
cry  shame  to  such.  Men  with  virtuous,  noble  wives  and  children,  even  to  stoop  to 
such  acts!  Thank  a  kind  heavenly  Master,  there  will  be  a  time  when  such  men  can  be 
seen  in  their  true  character,  and  be  made  to  feel  the  power  of  an  avenging  hand.  I  ain , 
fully  convinced  that  by  kind  and  careful  teaching,  this  great  evil  could  be  remedied 
and  the  Indian  race  again  restored  to  its  former  virtue  and  honor,  and  gradually  be- 
come an  intelligent,  industrious,  and  educated  people. 

THE   STACHINE   RIVER. 

After  remaining  at  Wrangel  one  week  I  procured  an  Indian  guide,  purchased  a  canoe 
and  sufficient  provisions  to  last  three  mouths,  and  Monday  at  half  past  one  p.  in.,  Sep- 
tember 13,  started  on  a  tour  of  inspection  up  the  Stachiue  River,  the  mouth  of  which 
is  about  ten  miles  north  from  AVraugel  Island.  We  reached  main  land  about  four 
p.  m.,  and  after  luncheon  again  resumed  our  journey,  overtaking  a  number  of  Indians 
during  the  afternoon. 

These  Indians  were  from  Wraugel,  and  on  their  way  to  the  interior,  where  they  go 
every  fall  to  trade  for  the  furs  of  more  distant  tribes.  A  systematic  form  of  exchange 
is  carried  on  from  one  tribe  to  another  until  it  reaches  the  Coast  tribes,  thus  bringing 
many  valuable  furs  many  hundred  miles  from  the  interior  of  a  vast  and  unexplored 
country. 

As  we  advanced,  day  after  day  the  general  appearance  of  the  country  gradually  as- 
sumes a  better  appearance.  The  scenery  along  the  river  is  far  beyond  my  power  of 
description.  Immense  mountains,  whose  snow-crowned  heads  pierce  the  dome  of  heaven 
in  solemn  and  majestic  grandeur,  rise  in  every  direction. 

COAL,   IROX,   AND   COPPER. 

In  many  places  on  these  mountains  could  be  seen  huge  masses  of  coal,  looking  as  though 
a  little  push  would  set  them  tumbling  down  its  side.  Iron  and  copper  abound  in  many 
places,  and  gold  can  be  found  in  every  direction,  very  thinly  scattered.  As  yet  no  dis- 
coveries have  been  made  that  would  warrant  a  speedy  acquirement  of  wealth  by  mining, 
but  the  indications  are  very  good  that  at  no  distant  day  very  rich  mines  will  be  found. 
A  strong  party  of  prospectors  left  Victoria  in  May  last,  for  the  purpose  of  exploring  the 
entire  interior  westward,  and  are  daily  expected  to  make  their  appearance  somewhere 
along  the  coast.  Many  are  ready  and  waiting  to  embrace  any  new  discoveries  they  may 
have  made  in  their  long  journey.  As  we  advanced  to  the  interior  we  found  a  greater 
change  in  the  condition  of  the  Indians.  They  being  removed  from  the  coast,  had  no  idea 
of  wrong  or  evil  actions. .  They  are  far  more  honest  than  the  same  number  of  white  men 
would  be  under  the  same  circumstances.  You  can  form  an  idea  of  this  from  the  fol- 
lowing, which  I  learned  from  an  eye-witness:  In  1862  a  large  immigration  of  miners  to 
this  coast  was  caused  by  the  discoveries  of  gold  about  two  hundred  miles  up  the  Stikine 
River,  at  a  bar  named  after  the  discoverer,  (Mr.  Chockett,  nicknamed  Buck,)  hence 
the  name  "Buck's  Bar,"  which  was  worked  but  one  or  two  years,  (owing  to  the  diffi- 
culty of  getting  provisions,)  and  then,  nearly  all  of  them  returning,  mauy  left  their 
entire  kits  of  tools  and  working  utensils  and  goods  of  every  variety  ;  some  hung  them 
up  on  trees,  others  stowed  them  away  in  caves  and  niches  in  the  rocks  and  abandoned 
them.  The  Indians  are  continually  passing  them,  and  have  been  known  to  replace 
them  when  their  fastenings  would  give  way  and  let  them  fall  to  the'  ground,  thereby 
showing  not  even  the  existence  of  a  wrong  thought  in  the  iniud.s  of  these  red  men. 
The  only  thing  they  have  ever  been  known  to  appropriate  was  a  few  potatoes  and 
about  five  pounds  of  flour  belonging  to  one  of  the-  miners  there,  and  this  they  were  almost 
forced  to  take  from  inability  to  procure  sufficient  food  to  sustain  life.  This  in 
stance  can  be  multiplied  by  many  more  of  the  same  nature  were  it  necessary.  Fifty 
miles  up  the  river  is  an  abandoned  house,  once  used  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
for  trading  with  the  Indians. 


114          REPORT   OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

THE   GLACIER   OF  THE   STYCHIKE. 

Opposite  this  place  is  an  immense  glacier,  «about  four  miles  long  and  an  unknown 
width,  extending  westward  between  two  large  mountains,  until  it  is  no  longer  discernible. 
It  varies  in  depth  from  one  to  five  or  six  hundred  feet,  commencing  near  the  water  and 
extending  along  its  course.  The  top  is  furrowed  and  cut  by  the  rain  into  every  variety 
of  shape,  only  needing  a  small  addition  to  form  correct  images  of  houses,  towers,  giants, 
caverns,  and  many  other  forms.  Viewed  from  the  east  side  of  the  river,  when  the  sun 
is  shining  full  upon  it,  it  presents  a  most  beautiful  appearance,  its  innumerable  points 
glistening  like  burnished  silver,  and  its  caverns  becoming  more  dark  by  comparison. 
Toward  sunset  the  effect  of  the  day's  sun  causes  it  to  crack,  which  makes  a  deep  rumbling 
noise  that  can  be  heard  for  ten  or  fifteen  and  sometimes  twenty  miles.  Immediately 
opposite  its  center,  across  the  river,  is  a  boiling  spring,  bubbling  up  in  eight  or  ten 
places,  whose  water  is  so  hot  that  it  will  crisp  a  person's  bpots  in  a  very  short  time,  as 
many  incautious  persons  can  testify.  It  seems  as  if  nature  must  have  been  on  a  frolic 
during  her  stay  here,  a,nd  becoming  chilled  from  the  glacier,  came  across  the  river  and 
found  this  warm  stream  in  which  to  sport. 

Along  the  river  are  four  other  smaller  glaciers,  but,  compared  with  this  one,  they  be- 
come mere  snow-balls.  Seventy-rive  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river  is  located  the 
trading  post  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  in  charge  of  their  agent,  Mr.  Chockett, 
known  throughout  the  country  as  "Buck;"  he  is  esteemed  very  highly  by  the  Indians, 
from  the  fact  that  his  dealings  have  been  uniform,  and  his  promises  always  faithfully 
redeemed,  thus  gaining  a  firm  place  in  their  estimation.  At  the  time  of  my  visit  he 
showed  me  over  eight  hundred  .marten,  one  thousand  beaver,  and  a  large  number  of 
many  other  kind  of  furs  ;  this  being  about  the  middle  of  the  trading  season  with  him. 
He  has  been  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  miles  from  there  up  the  river  into  the  inte- 
rior prospecting  for  gold.  Sixty  miles  from  there  you  reach  an  immense  canon,  ninety 
miles  long,  extending  through  the  Coast  or  Chigmet  mountains.  The  current  in  this 
place  runs  so  rapidly  that  you  can  form  no  idea  of  its  speed.  It  reminds  you  of  a  huge 
gun,  as  you  see  fragments  of  trees  and  logs  iiy  along  in  its  .angry  foaming  waters.  In 
some  places  the  rocky  sides  gradually  incline  inward,  until  at  a  distance  of  two  or  three 
hundred  feet  above  the  wrater  they  come  so  close  that  a  good  jump  will  take  you  across 
the  yawning  chasm  below.  In  the  spring,  when  the  ice  breaks  up  in  the  river,  the 
water  rises  from  forty  to  sixty  feet  in^this  canon,  and  you  may  imagine  its  appearance 
then. 

After  crossing  the  mountains,  you  reach  a  beautiful  prairie,  well  watered  and  plenty 
of  fine  timber.  Here  are  found  deer,  bear,  antelope,  mountain  sheep,  beaver,  and  nearly 
every  variety  of  game,  excepting  the  buffalo.  The  gold  continues  about  the  same,  and 
is  found  to  a  small  extent  in  river  bars.  No  quartz  existing  precludes  the  idea  of  any 
large  deposits  in  this  vicinity. 

The  change  in  the  climate  is  more  striking  than  that  of  the  country.  It  is  clear, 
bright,  and  invigorating,  with  but  very  little  rain.  The  atmosphere  is  so  pure  that  you 
can  see  much  further  and  more  distinctly  than  in  any  other  climate.  The  nights  are 
almost  as  bright  as  the  day ;  so  bright  that  you  can  easily  read  coarse  print.  The  In- 
dians in  this  vicinity  have  almost  an  Eden  to  live  in — game  and  fish  in  endless  num- 
ber seem  to  be  only  waiting  their  will.  These  tribes  make  annual  journeys  overland 
southward,  and  meet  those  coming  from  the  coast,  thus  rinding  a  ready  market  for  their 
furs,  for  which  they  obtain  ammunition,  guns,  axes,  buttons,  cloth,  and  tobacco  ;  also 
many  other  small  notions.  But  very  little  liquor  ever  reaches  them,  and  thus  they  es- 
cape the  great  source  of  degradation  and  corruption  which  soon  sweeps  away  nations, 
power,  and  happiness.  I  do  not  wish  my  readers  to  think  that  I  am  a  rigid  temperance 
man,  for  I  am  not.  I  regard  liquor  the  same  as  any  other  article  of  drink  or  food ;  that 
is,  if  it  is  properly  used,  it  will  not  injure  any  one  ;  but  abused,  it  becomes  a  scourge 
and  lashes  hardest  those  who  embrace  it  most,  degrading  them  even  below  the  brute 
creation.  Its  effect  on  the  Indian  is  much  different  and  more  dangerous  than  on  the 
white  man.  When  an  Indian  becomes  intoxicated,  he  becomes  wild,  reckless,  and 
cruel,  not  even  hesitating  to  kill  any  one  who  may  meet  his  displeasure.  They 
will  continue  drinking  as  long  as  they  can  procure  liquor,  thus  showing  how  rapid 
would  be  their  course  toward  a  fearful  end. 

At  the  time  of  my  leaving  Philadelphia,  my  opinion  was  like  the  masses  who  had 
never  seen  or  inspected  the  Indian  in  hia  own  native  power  and  country ;  i.  e.  "  that  he 
was  incapable  of  ever  being  civilized  or  becoming  of  any  importance  whatever."  Since 
my  journey  and  inspection  of  the  different  tribes  whom  I  met,  and  observing  the  change 
produced  in  them  by  association  alone,  every  item  of  doubt  regarding  it  is  turned  to  a 
certainty,  that  they  can,  under  honest,  faithful  instruction,  be  advanced  far  beyond  our 
imagination. 

After  running  up  the  Stikine,  I  then  entered  one  of  its  tributaries,  about  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles  up,  called  the  Clear  Water  River.  It  was  named  by  a  party  of 
miners,  from  the  fact  of  its  water  being  much  more  clear  than  the  Stikine.  The  Clear 
Water  runs  southeast.  It  is  a  very  rapid  stream  indeed,  and  in  many  places  very  shal- 


REPORT   OF   THE    COMMISSION    OX   INDIAN    AFFAIRS.         115 

lovr.  It  can  be  navigated  with  difficulty  about  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  in  canoes,  where 
rapids  occur  so  frequently  that  no  one  cares  to  risk  life  and  property  by  braving  them. 
Here  the  climate  is  very  fine  and  healthy,  inhabited  by  the  "  Stick"  or  Tree  Indians. 
These  Indians  partake  of  the  same  descriptions  and  traits  as  those  along  the  Stikine. 
We  left  our  canoe  moored  in  a  small  side  stream  in  full  view  of  a  trail  in  constant 
use  by  this  tribe,  and  during  a  week  which  I  spent  in  traveling  from  there  in  every 
direction,  not  a  single  article  was  disturbed  by  them.  I  frequently  met  them,  and 
would  ask  them  in  their  own  language  ("  Mika  manick,  mika  canin  ?")  "  Did  you  see  my 
canoe  ?"  They  would  say  ("  Moitka")  "  Yes  ;"  and  on  returning  I  could  see  their  trail 
pass  it,  but  no  indication  of  their  approaching.  I  prospected  in  many  places  for  gold, 
and  found  but.  very  little  difference  between  the  deposits  here  and  elsewhere,  with  one 
exception.  About  ten  miles  from  camp,  and  five  miles  up  a  large  creek  (coming  in  from 
the  northeast)  called  Boulder  Creek,  deriving  its  name  from  the  amount  of  large  bould- 
ers found  along  its  course,  is  a  fall  of  about  five  or  six  feet,  at  the  foot  of  which  are 
some  small  deposits  of  coarse  gold  buried  among  huge  boulders  of  many  tons'  weight. 
It  is  not  in  sufficient  quantities  to  warrant  an  investment  in  mining  tools,  &c.,  neces- 
sary to  overcome  these  obstacles  and  remunerate  any  one  for  time  and  trouble. 

Becoming  fully  convinced  that  there  was  nothing  in  this  section  sufficient  to  recom- 
pense me  for  the  sacrifice  of  home  and  its  surroundings,  I  determined  on  returning  to 
them  as  soon  as  possible.  Accordingly,  October  21,  all  things  being  in  readiness,  at 
day-break  I  bid  farewell  to  our  old  camp  and  its  pleasant  surroundings,  headed  the 
canoe  down  stream,  and  began  a  journey  of  nearly  five  thousand  miles  homeward  bound. 
In  the  first  day's  travel  we  run  about  eighty  miles,  encountering  many  dangerous 
places,  but  coming  through  them  all  safely.  Many  times,  in  spite  of  bur  united  eiforts,  the 
current  would  sweep  us  against  its  rocky  boundary,  and  almost  smash  our  canoe.  Again 
in  trying  to  avoid  huge  trees  (left  in  the  river  at  high  water)  we  would  be  forced  to  head 
our  boat  directly  for  them,  and  with  a  silent  prayer  wait  the  result.  The  canoe  being 
gradually  rounded  from  its  bottom  up  to  a  long  sharp  bow,  and  driven  ten  or  twelve 
miles  an  hour  by  the  strong  current,  would  strike  the  tree  and  seem  to  leap  out  of  the 
water  over  it,  as  if  it  was  running  from  some  fearful  danger. 

The  next  day's  run  we  reached  the  Great  Glacier,  and  camped  in  the  old  house,  re- 
maining there  one  day  to  overhaul  our  goods  and  feast  our  eyes  on  the  beautiful 
scenery.  After  tramping  over  a  large  mountain  and  shooting  some  grouse  and  squirrels 
I  returned  to  camp,  and  next  morning  determined  to  reach  Wrangel  again.  It  was  a 
long  and  hard  pull  of  sixty  miles,  the  river  having  become  much  wider  and  the  current 
ran  from  four  to  six  miles  an  hour.  We  reached  there  about  9  p.  m.  tired  and  hungry, 
and  were  welcomed  back  and  well  entertained.  Our  friends  were  about  sending  a  canoe 
up  after  us,  fearing  that  we  would  not  survive  the  dangers  of  the  return  trip.  We  were 
disappointed  at  not  finding  any  letters  from  home  there  for  us.  Thursday  night  we 
were  awakened  by  the  signal  gun  of  the  Newbern,  and  our  hearts  gave  a  great  bound 
of  joy  at  the  prospect  of  a  speedy  return  to  the  dear  ones  far  away.  If  in  this  simple, 
unpretending  letter  you  find  anything  instructive  or  interesting  I  shall  be  amply  re- 
paid for  this  attempt  at  a  description  which,  in  good  hands,  would  fill  a  large  volume, 
every  item  being  of  interest.  As  it  is  I  must  endeavor  to  double  the- "  one  talent " 
given,  that  it  may  be  well  with  me.  For  the  kind  Christian  advice  given,  me  by  you  on 
our  way  up  from  San  Francisco  I  thank  you  most  earnestly,  for  through  it  I  have  been 
greatly  benefited.  Although  I  may  never  repay  you,  your  reward  awaits  you  in 
heaven.  May  God's  blessing  ever  rest  on  you  and  your  efforts  is  the  wish  of 
Your  devoted  friend, 

HARRY  G.  WILLIAMS, 

Philadelphia,  Po» 

VINCENT  COLYER, 

Special  United  States  Indian  Commissioner. 


APPENDIX  B  3. 
Letter  from  Leon  Smitk. 

WRANGEL  ISLAND,  A.  T.,  October  30,  1869. 

DEAR  SIR  :  In  answer  to  your  questions  of  yesterday,  permit  me  to  say  the  number  of 
Indians  at  this  point  is  estimated  to  be  about  500. 

Since  my  arrival  here,  the  1st  of  March,  1869,  I  have  found  them  to  be  quiet,  and 
seem  well  disposed  toward  the  whites. 

They  live  on  fish  (smoked  salmon)  and  game,  and  they  provide  themselves  with 
clothing  from  the  furs  they  gather,  either  by  trade  or  trapping. 

Twice  a  year  most  of  the  Indians  make  a  trip  up  the  Stikine  River  to  Talyan,  at 
which  place  the  Stick  tribe  reside,  and  trade  with  them  for  interior  marten,  mink, 
beaver,  bear,  wolverine,  lyux,  land  otter,  and  some  other  skins.  They  take  up  salmon, 


116          REPORT    OP    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

fish-oil,  blankets,  domestics,  red  cloth,  beads,  molasses,  flour,  and  in  fact  every  other 
article  suitable  for  Indian  trade.  They  give  about  ten  yards  of  print  for  one  prime 
marten ;  three  and  a  half  pounds  of  salmon,  three  gallons  of  molasses,  for  the  same7  and 
for  other  skins  in  proportion. 

The  Stick  tribe  are  a  very  honest  tribe,  and  partial  to  the  whites.  I  will  now  start 
from  this  point  and  go  with  you  to  Talyan,  on  the  North  Fork.  We  leave  here  and  go 
about  seven  miles  to  the  mouth  of  the  Stikine  with,  say,  five  Indians  in  my  canoe. 
The  current  is  rapid  at  all  seasons.  We  reach  the  glacier,  thirty-five  miles  from  the 
mouth,  in  two  days ;  from  there  we  proceed  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  post,  two 
miles  above  the  boundary  line  between  Hudson's  Bay  Company  and  Alaska,  a  distance 
of  thirty  miles,  in  two  days — four  days  from  the  mouth.  From  here  we  find  the  cur- 
rent very  rapid,  and  we  tow  our  canoe  along  the  two  banks ;  we  send  three  of  our  men 
on  shore  to  tow,  and  keep  one  in  the  bow  and  stern.  We  tug  along  about  ten  miles  a 
day  until  we  reach  Shakesville,  named  after  the  chief  of  the  Stikine  tribe,  with 
whom  you  are  acquainted.  We  reach  Shakesville  in  about  five  days,  about  fifty  miles 
from  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  being  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles  from  the 
mouth.  From  here  we  tug  along  twelve  miles  to  Buck's  Bar,  at  which  point,  or  in  its 
vicinity,  some  eleven  miners  are  at  work  on  surface  digging.  They  average  about  three 
dollars  a  day,  and  generally  come  to  the  mouth  to  winter.  The  men  do  some  trading  in 
furs.  They  here  find  silver,  copper,  coal,  and  iron,  but,  with  the  exception  of  coal,  not  in 
large  quantities.  The  coal  near  the  North  Fork  is  of  good  quality,  the  vein  being 
some  thirty  feet.  We  now  leave  Buck's  Bar,  bound  to  Talyau,  a  distance  of  twenty 
miles.  We  work  hard  for  three  days,  and  at  last  make  fast  to  the  banks  at  Talyan. 
We  are  received  kindly  by  the  chief,  Nornuck,  and  by  all  the  tribe.  The  tribe  remain 
away  from  home,  and  at  their  hunting  grounds,  about  six  months  out  of  the  year. 
They  do  their  trading  with  the  Stikiues  ;  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  sends  goods  up, 
and  in  fact  do  most  all  the  trading.  **#*»**»* 

I  spoke  to  you  of  Mr.  Charles  Brown's  farm  and  waterfall.  Ho  tells  me  that  he  has 
raised  about  fifteen  tons  of  potatoes,  two  tons  of  cabbage,  four  tons  of  turnips,  and  a 
large  quantity  of  beets,  lettuce,  peas,  carrots,  &c.  He  has  a  turnip  weighing  six 
pounds.  Potatoes  average  well ;  some  came  aboard  yesterday. 

The  lake  is  about  one  mile  wide,  and  two  and  one-half  long  ;  the  fall  is  about  forty 
feet,  with  water  enough  to  run  forty  saw-mills.  Mr.  Brown  has  been  living  at  that 
point  about  two  years ;  it  is  about  ten  miles  from  here. 

Out  of  six  pounds  of  seed  Mr.  Brown  tells  me  he  raised  four  hundred  and  fifteen 
pounds  of  potatoes. 

Mr.  Hoglan,  a  miner  at  Buck's  Bar  for  two  years,  tells  me  that  the  altitude  of  the 
country  will  not  permit  them  to  raise  vegetables ;  the  country  is  broken,  mountainous, 
.and  swampy. 

Of  the  other  tribes  of  the  Territory  I  know  nothing. 

Hoping  you  will  excuse  this  hurriedly  penned  memorandum,  I  am,  sir,  very  re- 
spectfully your  obedient  servant, 

LEON  SMITH. 

Hon.  VINCENT  COLYER, 

Special  Indian  Commissioner. 


APPENDIX  B  3. 
Letter  from  W.  Wall. 

FORT  WRANGEL,  A.  T.,  November  8,  18G9. 

DEAR  SIR  :  The  Stikine  Indians  live  at  present  on  a  small  bay,  near  the  northern 
•extremity  of  Wrangel  Island,  and  within  about  seven  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the 
river  Stikine.  They  number  altogether  about  three  hundred,  and  are  divided  into  nine 
tribes,  each  tribe  having  a  chief,  and  all  subject  to  one  chief. 

The  present  chief  is  Shakes  ;  he  does  not  possess  by  any  means  the  authority  and 
influence  which  his  predecessor  did  ;  the  principal  reason  is  he  is  very  poor,  and  an- 
other is  he  reports  to  the  commanding  officer  all  the  misdeeds  of  the  village.  He  is 
well  disposed,  and  his  only  fault  is  his  fondness  for  whisky,  which  is  the  cause  of  his 
poverty. 

The  majority  of  these  Indians  are  very  industrious,  and  are  always. anxious  to  get 
employment,  but,  like  all  the  Indians  on  the  coast,  are  passionately  fond  of  whisky. 
Such  is  their  desire  for  it  that  they  will  dispose  of  their  most  valuable  furs  at  a  most 
extraordinary  sacrifice  to  obtain  it.  However,  since  the  country  came  into  the  posses- 
sion of  the  United  States  they  have  not  as  many  opportunities  as  formerly  of  gratifying 
their  passion. 

It  is  a  well  known  fact,  that  the  sale  of  whisky  to  Indians  on  this  coast,  (and  to  the 
interior  Indians  through  these  on  the  coast,)  has  reduced  their  numbers,  caused  petty 


REPORT   OF   THE   COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN   AFFAIRS.         117 

feuds,  idleness,  theft,  and  predisposes  them  to  disease  and  mortality,  reducing  them  to 
the  level  of  the  lowest  brute.  They  are  artful  and  cunning,  and  to  gain  a  point  will 
tell  lies  in  a  most  bare-faced  manner;  at  the  same  time  they  look  upon  a  respectable 
white  man  as  incapable  of  telling  an  untruth ;  and  if  a  white  man  once  deceives  them 
by  telling  an  untruth,  or  otherwise,  they  look  upon  him  as  below  caste,  and  will  avoid 
as  muchrfis  possible  all  future  dealings  with  him. 

It  is  also  a  well  known  fact  that  immorality  among  the  Indian  tribes  is  not  so  gen- 
eral as  when  they  associate  with  the  white  population.  Both  male  and  female  seem  to 
suffer  alike  by  the  association,  and  the  natural  consequence  is  quite  evident— disease 
and  a  remarkable  decrease  in  population. 

The  principal  sustenance  of  these  Indians  is  fish,  berries,  fish  oil,  seal  oil,  venison 
and  mountain  sheep.  Potatoes  and  turnips  they  are  very  fond  of,  and  buy  them  in 
considerable  quantities  from  the  Hydahs,  who  live  further  up,  and  seem  to  understand 
their  cultivation. 

The  soil  and  climate  here  are  well  suited  for  the  growth  of  potatoes,  turnips,  cab- 
bage, carrots,  parsnips,  bee,ts,  &c.;  but  both  from  the  want  of  knowledge  and  of  imple- 
ments, the  Indians  never  make  an  earnest  attempt ;  they  simply  cultivate  a  few  potar 
toes  in  a  most  indifferent  manner. 

The  fur-bearing  animals  on  the  coast  are  numerous,  and  good  of  their  kind,  viz., 
bears,  mink,  and  hair  seal;  and  it  is  strange  how  these  Indians  neglect,  in  a  great 
measure,  this  very  important  source  of  wealth.  I  can  account  for  it  in  this  way :  their 
appliances  for  procuring  the  means  of  subsistence  are  so  indifferent,  and  their  total 
neglect  of  raising  any  vegetables  leaves  them  in  that  condition  that  they  really  have 
neither  the  time  or  the  independence  to  go  out  for  a  two  or  three  months'  trapping 
expedition.  However,  there  are  some  exceptions  which  go  to  prove  the  statement 
which  I  make.  I  know  one  Indian  who  last  winter  killed  twelve  large  and  eight  small 
bears,  about  thirty  minks,  and  a  number  of  hair  seals  ;  he  had  besides  a  small  patch  of 
potatoes;  this  Indian  had  only  his  wife  to  assist  him.  In  conclusion,  I  have  no  hesi- 
tation in  stating,  (after  nearly  three  years'  experience  in  their  means  and  ways,)  that 
these  Indians,  if  properly  instructed,  and  advantage  taken  of  the  resources  of  the 
country,  they  might  not  only  become  comfortable,  but  by  the  sale  of  furs  and  their 
other  produce  become  comparatively  wealthy. 

I  have  much  pleasure  in  offering  you  these  hurried  remarks,  hoping  you  might  find 
them  useful  in  assisting  you  in  the  good  work  you  have  undertaken. 
I  am,  sir,  yours,  most  respectfully, 

W.  WALL. 

Hon.  VINCENT  COLTER, 

United  States  Special  Indian  Commissioner. 


APPENDIX  B  4. 

Mr.  William  H.  Dalla's  general  description  of  Southeastern  Alaska  is  so  full  of  valu- 
able information  that  I  append  it  to  Mr.  William  H.  Smith's  and  Mr.  Wall's  account  of 
this  district : 

THE  SITKAN  DISTRICT. 

"  This  district  extends  from  the  southern  boundary  to  the  peninsula  of  Alaska,  in- 
cluding the  island  of  Kadiak. 

"  The  surface  of  this  portion  of  the  Territory  is  rugged  and  mountainous  in  the  ex- 
treme, the  northern  part  only  affording  any  appreciable  amount  of  level  and  arable 
lands  suitable  for  cultivation.  Small  patches  occur  here  and  there  where  small  farms 
might  be  located,  but,  as  a  rule,  the  mountains  descend  precipitously  into  the  sea,  with 
their  flanks  covered  with  dense  and  almost  impenetrable  forests.  These  rise  to  the 
level  of  about  fifteen  hundred  feet  above  the  sea.  Here  and  there  a  bare  streak  shows 
where  an  avalanche  has  cut  its  way  from  the  mountain  top  to  the  waterside ;  and  oc- 
casionally the  shining  front  of  a  glacier  occupies  some  deep  ravine,  contrasting  curiously 
with  the  dense  foliage  on  either  side. 

"The  canals  and  channels  of  the  Alexander  Archipelago  form  the  highways  of  the 
country,  and  so  intricate  and  tortuous  are  they,  that  they  afford  access  to  almost  every 
part  of  it  without  setting  foot  on  shove.  + 

"  Soil. — The  soil  is  principally  decayed  vegetable  mold,  -with  substrata  of  gravel  or 
dark-colored  clay. 

"The  soil  of  Kadiak  and  Cook's  Inlet  is  of  a  similar  character,  but  from  an  admixture 
of  volcanic  sand  thrown  up  by  the  waves,  and  abundant  sandstone  strata,  it  is  lighter, 
drier,  and  better  adapted  for  cultivation. 

"  Climate. — The  climate  of  the  southern  portion  of  this  district  is  intolerably  rainy. 
The  annual  rain-fall  at  Sitka  varies  from  sixty  to  ninety-live  inches,  and  the  annual 


118 


REPOKT    OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN   AFFAIES. 


number  of  more  or  less  rainy  days  varies  from  one  hundred  and  ninety  to  two  hundred 
and  eighty-five.  In  Unalaska  the  annual  number  of  rainy  days  is  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty,  and  the  annual  fall  of  rain  (and  melted  snow)  is  about  forty-lour  inches. 
This  last  est  imate,  is  probably  not  too  low  for  the  island  of  Kadiak  and  the  eastern  part 
of  Cook's  Inlet.  The  annual  means  of  the  temperature  about  Sitka  are  by  no  means 
low,  in  spite  of  the  rainy  summers.  The  following  table  will  indicate  the  means  for  the 
severe  seasons  during  the  year  ending  October  31,  1868,  from  the  United  States  Coast 
Survey  observations : 

"SITKA  METEOROLOGICAL  ABSTRACT. 


Season. 

Moan 
Temp. 

Rain- 
fall. 

Fair 
days. 

Cloudy 

dnys. 

Rainy 
days. 

Snowy 
days. 

Serin  <r  

Fahr. 
42.6 

Inches. 
14.64 

22 

70 

33 

15 

Summer   

55.7 

10.14 

21 

71 

36 

0 

45.9 

28  70 

19 

72 

44 

5 

Winter                                 .   .     .. 

31.  9 

14.50 

44 

47 

21 

6 

Tear  

44.07 

68.07 

106 

iitiO 

134 

26 

Minimum  temperatxire  11°,  maximum  temperature  71°,  for  the  year. 

"It  will  be  noted  that  the  average  temperature  of  the  winter  is  hardly  below  the 
freezing  point,  the  greatest  degree  of  cold  being  eleven  above  zero.  The  average  of 
many  years  observation  places  the  mean  winter  temperature  about  -(-33°  Fahr.,  which 
is  about  that  of  Manheim,  on  the  Rhine,  and  warmer  than  Munich,  Vienna,  or  Berlin; 
and  about  the  same  as  that  of  Washington,  (one  thousand  and  ninety-five  miles  further 
south,)  and  warmer  than  New  York,  Philadelphia,  or  Baltimore.  The  cloudiness  and 
rain  of  the  summer  season,  however,  prevents  it  from  being  nearly  as  warm  as  at  any 
of  the  places  above  mentioned.  Very  little  ice  is  made  at  Sitka;  the  harbor  is  always 
open,  and  the  island  is  noted  for  the  abundance  of  a  small  species  of  humming  bird. 

"Inhabitants. — These  are  principally  Indians  in  the  Alexander  Archipelago.  Treated 
with  firmness  and  decision  they  are  harmless;  but  if  vacillation  or  weakness  mark  the 
dealings  of  Americans,  as  they  did  the  policy  of  the  Russian  American  Company,  mas- 
sacres and  other  exhibitions  of  Indian  virtue  and  courage  will  be  the  inevitable  result. 
North  of  the  archipelago  on  the  shores  of  Prince  William  Sound,  and  the  north  shore  of 
Cook's  Inlet,  and  on  the  whole  of  Alaska  Peninsula  and  the  islands  south  of  it,  the  in- 
habitants are  of  the  Esquimaux  stock,  intelligent,  ingenious  and  docile. 

"Natural  productions. — In  the  southern  part  of  this  district,  from  an  agricultural  point 
of  view,  there  is  little  beside  the  timber.  Near  Fort  Simpson,  Dr.  Kellogg  describes 
timothy,  white  clover,  and  medick,  or  burr  clover,  as  flourishing  with  great  luxuriance. 
Dr.  Rothrock  says  the  same  of  the  native  grasses  in  the  interior.  But  south  of  Prince 
William  Sound  there  is  so  little  low  land,  or  prairie,  that  there  is  no  good  opportunity  for 
raising  fodder,  and  the  climate  would  render  its  preservation  extremely  precarious.  The 
character  of  the  country  is  so  rugged  that  it  would  hardly  be  advisable  to  keep  many 
cattle;  and  grain-raising,  on  account  of  the  moisture,  is  not  to  be  thought  of.  At  Sitka 
some  vegetables  do  very  well.  Turnips,  beans,  peas,  carrots,  beets,  lettuce,  and  rad- 
ishes succeed  well.  Potatoes  are  small  and  watery  from  want  of  sun  and  excess  of  mois- 
ture. Cabbages  are  luxuriant,  but  will  not  head.  Cereals  fail.  The  milk  and  cream 
from  a  few  cows  are  very  good.  Pork  has  a  disagreeable  flavor  from  being  fed  on  fish 
entrails,  &c. 

"  To  the  northern  portion  of  this  district  the  above  remarks  do  not  apply.  Kadiak 
and  Cook's  Inlet,  northeast  of  Fort  Alexander,  have  comparatively  colder  winters  and 
drier  and  warmer  summers  than  the  islands  and  coast  to  the  west  or  south  of  them. 
Haying  can  be  successfully  carried  on,  the  native  grasses  being  valuable  for  fodder, 
green  or  dry,  while  the  cultivated  grasses  succeed  very  well.  Barley  and  oats  have 
been  successfully  raised  near  the  settlement  of  St.  Nicholas,  on  Cook's  Inlet.  There  is 
no  want  of  wood ;  while  it  does  not  encroach  on  the  lowland,  which  is  clear  of  trees 
and  underbrush.  Dr.  Kellogg  says  of  Kadiak,  '  Various  herbs  and  grasses  clothe  the 
mountains  to  their  summits.  The  summer  climate  here,  unlike  Sitka,  is  sufficiently 
fair  for  haying.  We  saw  many  mown  valleys  from  which  a  good  supply  of  hay  from 
the  native  grasses  had  been  secured.  The  cattle  were  fat,  the  milk  abundant.  The 
butter  was  yellow  and  appeared  remarkably  rich,  though  of  a  disagreeable  flavor, 
which  might  be  owing  to  the  manner  of  making.'  The  potatoes  are  better  than  at 
Sitka,  but  do  not  attain  a  very  large  size.  It  has  been  mentioned  that  the  cattle  dis- 
tributed to  the  natives  by  the  Russian  American  Company  did  very  well  in  Cook's 
Inlet. 

"  Timber. — The  agricultural  staple  of  the  southern  Sitkan  district  is  timber.     I  name 


REPORT    OP    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS.          119 

the  forest  trees  in  the  order  of  their  value.  The  yellow  cedar  (C.  Nutkcensis,  Spach.)  is 
the  most  valuable  wood  on  the  Pacific  coast.  It  combines  a  tine,  close  texture  with 
considerable  hardness,  extreme  durability,  and  pleasant  fragrance.  For  boat-building 
it  is  unsurpassed,  in  addition  to  its  lightness,  toughness,  ease  of  workmanship  and 
great  durability. 

"  After  ascending  some  distance  the  mountain  sides  of  the  island  of  Sitka,  the  wood, 
which  appears  in  increased  denseness  before  us,  consists  particularly  of  a  noble  Thuja, 
(T.  excelsa,  C.  Nutkocnsis.)  This  is  the  timber  most  valued  here.  It  occurs  frequently 
further  down,  but  the  more  predominant  spruce  trees  conceal  it  from  view  ;  but  here  it 
constitutes  almost  the  entire  timber.  From  its  agreeable  perfume,  it  is  known  to  the 
Russians  as  dushnik,  or  scented  wood.  This  is  the  wood  formerly  exported  to  China, 
and  returned  to  us  as  "camphor  wood,"  &c.,  famous  for  excluding  moths.  In  repairing 
old  Fort  Simpson,  a  stick  of  this  wood,  among  the  pine  timbers  used  for  underpinning, 
was  found  to  be  the  only  sound  log  after  twenty-one  years'  trial.  A  wreck  on  the 
beach  at  Sitka,  originally  constructed  of  this  timber,  was  found  thirty-two  years  after 
as  sound  as  the  day  it  was  built;  even  the  iron  bolts  were  not  corroded. 

"Sitka  spruce,  or  white  pine,  (Abies  Sitkensis.)  This  tree,  well  known  in  the  lumber 
trade  of  the  coast,  attains  a  large  size,  and  is  noteworthy  from  its  invariably  straight 
and  slowly  tapering  trunk.  The  wood  is  not  so  durable  as  the  last  species,  but  is 
available  for  many  purposes.  Hemlock,  (Abies  Mertetisiana,  Bong.)  This  species  is 
often  confounded  with  the  white  pine  by  lumber  dealers,  who  style  them  both  "  Sitka 
pine."  It  is  much  larger  in  its  growth  than  the  next  species,  but  some  botanists  con- 
sider it  a  variety  of  the  balsam.  Balsam  fir,  (Abies  Canadcnsis,  Mich.)  The  wood  of 
this  species  is  almost  valueless,  but  the  bark,  as  well  as  the  hark  of  the  last  named,  is 
used  in  tanning.  Scrub  pine,  (Pinus  contorta,  Dougl.)  This  species  seldom  grows  more 
than  forty  feet  clear  trunk  and  eighteen  inches  in  diameter.  It  passes  as  far  north  as 
the  junction  of  the  Lewis  and  the  Pelly  rivers  in  the  interior,  but  no  further. 

"  Other  trees,  such  as  the  little  juniper,  wild  pear,  and  the  like,  may  be  of  some  use, 
but  from  their  small  size  or  scarcity  are  of  little  economical  value. 

"In  Kadiak  Dr.  Kellogg  found  the  growth  of  timber  (Abies  Sitkensia)  confined  to  the 
eastern  valleys  and  slopes  of  the  island.  The  largest  seen  were  three  feet  in  diameter, 
and  ninety  to  one  hundred  feet  high.  In  the  governor's  yard  were  masts  and  spars 
over  one  hundred  feet  in  length,  scarcely  tapering  two  inches  in  thirty  or  forty  feet. 
These  were  from  Kadiak ;  but  many  are  brought  in  rafts  from  Spruce  Island,  ten  or 
fifteen  miles  oft*. 

"  The  wooded  district  comprises  the  whole  Alexander  Archipelago,  and  the  mainland 
north  to  Lituya  Bay ;  from  this  point  to  Prince  William  Sound  little  is  known  of  the 
character  of  the  timber;  but  in  the  latter  locality  fine  timber  abounds,  and  also  in  the 
interior. 

"  GENERAL  SUMMARY. 

"While  in  the  Youkon  territory  we  cannot  look  for  self-supporting  agricultural 
districts,  nor  reasonably  expect  any  one  to  obtain  a  sustenance  by  farming  alone ;  still 
the  settler  called  there  to  develop  the  resources  of  the  country,  be  they  lumber,  fish  or 
furs,  may  have  milk  in  his  tea,  and  many  vegetables  on  his  table,  if  he  possess  the 
energy  and  knowledge  to  make  the  most  of  his  opportunities.  It  will  not  be  necessary 
for  him  to  rely  on  the  products  of  the  chase  alone,  if  he  will  but  take  the  necessary 
care  to  provide  shelter  for  his  cattle,  and  to  cut  the  perennial  grasses  which  cover  the 
prairies  and  lowlands  for  their  fodder  during  the  winter. 

"  In  the  Aleutian  district  is  situated  the  larger  proportion  of  arable  lands,  and  in 
this  and  the  northern  part  of  the  Sitkan  district  the  climatic  conditions  are  the  most 
favorable  in  the  Territory.  Their  resemblance  to  the  conditions  which  prevail  in  North- 
western Scotland  and  its  islands  has  been  already  demonstrated  at  length ;  and  the 
capability  of  this  district  for  agriculture  may  therefore  be  reasonably  interred.  Oats 
and  barley,  possibly  wheat  and  rye,  may  succeed  on  these  islands.  Their  abundant 
capacity  for  producing  root  crops  of  good  quality,  except  possibly  potatoes,  may  be 
considered  as  settled.  That  cattle  will  do  well  there  is  no  doubt ;  and  the  Pacific  coast 
may  yet  derive  its  best  butter  and  cheese  from  the  Aleutian  and  Northern  Sitkan  dis- 
trict. Sheep,  goats,  and  swine  have  not  been  thoroughly  tried  as  yet,  but  the  infer- 
ence is  that  they  also  would  succeed. 

"  Most  of  the  berries  found  in  the  Youkon  territory  are  common  to  the  Aleutian 
district,  and  the  climate,  except  from  its  moisture,  presents  no  obstacles  to  the  success 
of  some  kinds  of  fruit  trees.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  some  one  will  try  the  experiment. 
These  islands,  with  the  country  around  Cook's  Inlet,  are  unquestionably  the  best  agri- 
cultural region  in  our  new  possessions. 

"The  resources  of  the  southern  Sitkan  district  lie  apparently  entirely  in  its  timber. 
This  is  unquestionably  needed  on  the  Pacific  slope,  and  is  a  most  valuable  acquisition. 
No  better  lumbering  district  could  be  imagined  with  water  transportation  everywhere, 
and  mountain  sides  so  steep  that  a  slide,  easily  made  of  comparatively  worthless 
timber,  will  conduct  the  more  valuable  logs  directly  to  the  water-side. 


120  REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

"  Some  vegetables  will  be  raised  in  the  future  as  in  the  past,  and  some  stock  will  be 
kept  in  this  part  of  Alaska,  but  expectations  should  be  moderate.  To  the  northern 
part  of  this  district  the  remarks  on  the  Aleutian  district  will  apply. 

"Many  reports  may  be  found  in  circulation,  even  in  official  documents,  in  regard  to 
Alaska,  which  have  very  little  foundation.  It  is  believed  that  in  this  report  nothing 
is  asserted  which  is  not  susceptible  of  easy  proof.  It  may  be  said  that  Massachusetts 
has  never  exported  any  native  productions  except  granite  and  ice.  Alaska,  on  the 
contrary,  if  we  dismiss  the  fabulous  stories  of  fossil  ivory,  and  gold  and  silver,  may  be 
able  in  course  of  time  to  give  not  only  ice,  marble,  coal,  and  ship  timber,  but  butter 
and  cheese,  mutton  and  beef.  Perhaps  more  palatable  fruit  may  take  the  place  of  the 
cranberries  which  have  already  found  their  way  to  San  Francisco  markets. 


APPENDIX  C. 
Report  from  F.  K.  Louthan  on  the  Indian  tribes  of  Alaska. 

ALASKA,  October  28,  1869. 

DEAR  SIR  :  A  residence  of  nearly  two  years  at  Sitka,  intimately  associated  with  the 
trade  of  the  country,  and  in  daily  communication  with  the  Indians,  has  afforded  me 
some  advantages  for  observing  the  habits  and  wants,  manners  and  customs,  of  these 
people. 

I  need  only  refer  you  to  the  Sitkas,  whose  history  and  character  afford  an  example 
that  pertains,  in  a  peculiar  degree,  to  all  of  the  tribes  on  our  coast,  from  Fort  Tongas, 
near  our  southern  boundary  line,  to  Copper  River,  away  to  the  northward  and  west- 
ward, about  six  hundred  miles. 

The  village  of  the  Sitkas  consists  of  fifty-six  houses,  well  built  and  comfortable,  ad- 
joining the  town  of  Sitka,  or  "  New  Archangel,"  being  separated  only  by  the  palisade,  a 
rude  defensive  line  of  upright  logs,  placed  by  the  old  Russian  American  Company. 
The  village  contains  a  population  of  about  twelve  hundred  souls  all  told.  They  have 
been,  and  are  now,  governed  by  one  great  chief,  aided  by  sub-chiefs,  all  of  whom  are 
elected  by  the  tribe.  It  is  impossible  for  me  to  give  the  number  of  the  latter,  their 
position  being  neither  arbitrary  nor  perpetual,  as  is  that  of  the  great  chief  or  "  tye." 
They  live  by  fishing  and  hunting,  eacli  in  their  proper  season,  the  men  devoting  a 
large  portion  of  their  time  trading  with  the  interior  Indians  for  furs,  giving  in  ex- 
change their  dried  salmon  and  halibut,  cotton  goods,  printed  and  plain,  blankets,  guns, 
powder,  balls,  &c. 

They  are  industrious  and  ingenious,  being  able  to  imitate  admirably  almost  anything 
placed  before  them.  Of  their  industry,  I  need  only  to  refer  to  the  fact  that  for  the  quar- 
termaster and  myself,  in  a  few  days'  notice,  they  supplied,  under  great,  disadvantages, 
both  of  weather  and  means,  one  thousand  cords  of  wood,  Russian  measure,  of  216  cubic 
feet  each.  This  large  amount  of  wood  was  cut  from  one  to  four  miles  away  from  our 
town,  and  delivered  and  corded  by  them  as  well,  if  not  better,  than  would  have  been 
done  by  the  same  white  labor  under  similar  disadvantages. 

Our  Indians  are  shrewd  traders,  readily  understanding  prices  and  values,  easily  un- 
derstanding both  our  coins  of  different  denominations,  and  our  "greenbacks."  They 
are  tractable  ami  kind  when  kindly  treated,  but  vindictive  and  exacting  full  compen- 
sation for  wrongs  inflicted,  come  from  what  quarter  they  may.  All  difficulties,  even 
that  of  killing  one  of  their  number,  is  measured  by  an  estimated  value,  "  so  many 
blankets,"  or  the  equivalent  in  money,  or  what  they  may  elect.  The  failure  to 
promptly  pay  for  a  real  or  supposed  injury  is  at  once  the  signal  for  retaliation.  I  can 
but  look  with  great  favor  upon  the  system  on  the  part  of  the  government,  of  adapting 
itself  to  the  one  idea,  immediate  settlement  with  their  people  for  all  wrongs  of  magni- 
tude, (whether  on  the  part  of  the  military  or  the  individual, )  entirely  upon  estimated 
value.  This  is  the  time-honored  custom  of  the  red  man  in  Alaska,  and  pertains  to  all 
alike,  wherever  dispersed  throughout  the  vast  Territory. 

At  present  it  is  more  than  folly  to  attempt  to  induct  him  into  any  other  way  of 
looking  at  a  wrong  or  injury.  Authority,  Avith  definite  instructions  to  our  rulers, 
Avhether  civil  or  military,  to  in  this  Avay  settle  all  disputes,  especially  Avhen  life  has 
been  taken,  will  always  keep  him  (the  Indian)  peaceable  and  friendly,  and  in  the  end 
save  to  the  government  many  notable  lives  and  a  large  expenditure  of  treasure. 

I  am  led  to  these  reflections  by  observing  that  in  this  way  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
and  the  Russian  American  Fur  Company  have,  for  nearly  a  century,  lived  in  compara- 
tive security  among  the  Pacific  coast  Indians,  failing  in  but  few  instances,  a  confidence 
betrayed,  property  taken,  or  life  endangered. 

Again,  my  own  personal  experience  is  a  powerful  example  of  the  system  of  such  a 
course.  Last  New  Year's  eve  a  difficulty  occurred  at  the  market-house  in  Sitka, 
betAveeu  aChilkaht  chief  and  a  soldier,  a  sentinel,  which  resulted  in  the  imprisonment 


EEPOKT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS.          121 

in  the  guard-house  of  the  chief,  and  .through  some  unaccountable  manner  the  death 
by  shooting,  in  a  day  or  two  afterwards,  of  three  Indians.  Fora  full  account  of  these 
early  difficulties  I  refer  you  to  a  report  of  General  J.  C.  Davis,  made  about  that  time. 

Among  the  Indians  killed  was  one  Chilkaht,  one  Kate,  and  one  Sitka.  The  Kates  very 
promptly  sought  the  usual  remedy,  but,  failing  to  satisfy  themselves,  adopted  their 
extreme  remedy,  "  an  eye  for  an  eye,  a  tooth  for  a  tooth ;"  meeting  two  white  men 
near  their  village,  promptly  dispatched  them,  thereby  lost  all  of  their  village,  burned 
by  order  of  the  general  commanding ;  hence  the  so-called  "  Kate  war." 

For  nearly  live  months  no  coast  or  interior  Indians  appeared  among  us,  to  the  great 
detriment  of  trade,  the  Chilkahts  especially  keeping  themselves  aloof  from  us  all  winter. 
Well  knowing  the  chief  and  most  of  his  people,  I  determined  to  pay  them  a  visit  for 
purpose  of  trade  and  to  restore  friendly  relations.  First,  a  small  schooner  reached 
their  village  iu  May  last,  and  found  them  sullen  and  listless,  and  effected  but  little  in 
any  shape  for  several  days.  At  the  end  of  the  fourth  day  our  little  vessel  was  suddenly 
boarded  by  about  seventy-five  well-armed  men,  bent  on  satisfaction  either  in 
property  or  life,  for  the  man  killed  at  Sitka  nearly  five  months  previous.  The  exi- 
gencies of  my  situation  required  prompt  and  immediate  action.  Asking,  from  our 
closed  cabin,  an  audience,  it  being  granted,  I  stepped  out  among  them  with  my  inter- 
preter, an  Indian,  and  whilst  protesting  against  their  wish  that  I  should  pay  for  what 
had  been  done  by  our  military  chief  at  Sitka,  satisfied  them  by  giving  them  a  letter  to 
the  general  commanding,  asking  him,  for  the  sake  of  trade  and  security  to  life,  to  pay 
for  the  man  killed,  giving  my  promise  to  the  ludians  to  pay  for  the  dead  man  if  the 
general  refused. 

The  general  refused  to  listen  to  the  delegation  waiting  on  him  with  my  letter.  I  re- 
turned with  nay  vessel  again  to  Sitka  and  to  Chilkaht,  when  I  promptly  paid  the 
price  asked — thirteen  blankets  and  one  coat,  amounting  in  value,  all  told,  to  about 
fifty  dollars,  coin.  I  feel  quite  sure  that  in  this  simple  settlement  I  arrested  serious 
trouble  to  myself  and  probably  to  the  government. 

I  made  afterward  a  similar  settlement  with  the  Chilkahts  in  Sitka,  for  one  of  their 
men  killed  by  a  young  man  in  my  employ.  I  can  safely  say  that  dealt  with  in  this 
way,  there  need  never  be  any  serious  complication  of  Indian  affairs  in  this  Territory. 
Many  irregularities  and  immoralities  exist  among  our  Coast  ludians.  Like  their 
brothers  of  the  plains,  they  are  great  lovers  of  whisky,  and  will  barter  their  all  to 
get  it.  They  should  be  prohibited  its  use,  but  how  to  effect  this  is  a  problem  I  am 
unable  to  solve,  unless  the  importation  is  entirely  prohibited.  That  our  Indians  are 
susceptible  of  a  high  standard  of  cultivation  there  can  be  no  possible  doubt.  This  can 
only  be  done  by  the  aid  of  industrial  and  educational  schools.  The  missionary  is 
working  to  good  advantage  at  Vancouver  among  the  Hydahs,  and  at  Fort  Simpson 
among  the  Chemseans.  In  these  two  tribes  can  be  found  men  and  women  of  high 
culture  and  refinement,  fit  to  "  grace  almost  any  position  in  life." 

The  Kaloshen,  our  own  Indians  from  Tongas  to  the  Copper  River,  are  quitaas  intelli- 
gent and  easy  of  culture,  needing  only  the  same  liberal  system  of  education  to,  in  a 
very  short  time,  fully  utilize  them  for  every  purpose  of  government  and  usefulness. 

The  inhospitality  of  the  country,  differing  as  it  does  so  widely  from  the  usual  fields 
of  civilized  men,  must  for  a  long  time  make  the  Indians  the  nucleus  of  population  of 
Alaska ;  and  if  so,  how  very  essential  that  he  be  at  once  advanced  through  education 
and  example  to  his  high  destiny. 

While  the  manners  and  customs  are  the  same  of  the  whole  Koloshen  race,  there  is 
a  marked  difference  in  the  wealth  and  condition  of  those  tribes  li ving  on  the  mainland 
coast  over  that  of  the  islander.  Position,  custom,  and  numbers  have  given  to  the  former 
the  entire  control  of  the  valuable  trade  with  the  interior,  in  some  five  of  the  great 
mainland  tribes,  each  warlike  and  powerful,  and  equally  zealous  of  any  encroach- 
ments 011  their  peculiar  privileges. 

Beginning  north  we  have  the  Copper  River  Indians,  variously  estimated  from  three 
to  four  thousand  strong ;  but  little  is  known  of  this  people.  They  are,  however,  known 
to  be  very  rich  in  furs. 

The  early  Russians  told  fabulous  stories  of  the  existence  of  both  gold  and  copper  on 
this  river,  which  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  the  Indians  are  at  times  seen  to  use  these 
metals  in  their  ornaments. 

Next  in  order,  south,  are  the  Klahinks,  about  one  thousand  strong.  They  live  in  the 
great  basin  or  park  known  as  Behring  Bay,  between  Mount  St.  Elias  and  Mount  Fair- 
weather,  and  have  a  splendid  communication  with  the  interior  by  means  of  two  long, 
fine  rivers  emptying  into  the  bay.  These  Indians  are  gentle,  hospitable  and  kind,  but 
are  poor,  having  been  neglected  by  the  traders  for  the  last  three  years.  They  are  in 
quick  communication  with  a  splendid  fur-bearing  country,  and  only  require  a  market 
to  develop  splendid  resources. 

Next  in  order  are  the  Hoonid,  or  Gross  Sound  Indians,  two  thousand  strong.  They 
live  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  sound  for  a  distance  of  sixty  miles,  and  are  the  oil  mer- 
chants of  the  coast,  taking  enormously  large  quantities  of  seal,  dog-fish,  and  ulican 


122          REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

oil,  which  they  barter  to  their  brethren  along  the  coast.    These  oils  are  used  largely  by 
our  Indians  as  an  article  of  food ;  it  is  used  by  them  as  we  use  butter. 

At  the  head  of  the  Chatham  Straits,  almost  due  north  from  Sitka  two  hundred  and 
twenty  miles,  are  the  Chilkahts,  at  least  ten  thousand  strong.  They  are  a  brave  and  war- 
like people,  "  more  sinned  against  than  sinning."  I  have  had  much  to  do  with  them,  and 
ever  found  them  honest,  faithful  and  kind.  Their  villages  extend  from  the  mouth  to  a 
distance  of  seventy-five  miles  up  the  Chilkaht  River.  Coal  and  iron  abound  in  inex- 
haustible quantities;  huge  masses  of  iron  can  be  found  among  the  boulders  almost  any- 
where along  the  banks  of  the  noble  stream.  The  Indians  state  the  existence  of  gold  in 
the  mountain  passes  of  the  river.  The  "color"  has  been  found  near  the  mouth.  On 
every  hand  can  be  seen  quartz  cropping  boldly  out  from  a  width  of  from  one  to  twenty 
feet.  Nothing  is  known  of  its  character  or  value.  These  Indians  are  among  the  richest, 
if  not  the  wealthiest,  of  our  Coast  Indians.  Large  quantities  of  the  most  valuable  furs 
are  annually  gathered  and  sold  by  them.  They  are  in  every  way  independent. 

Twenty  miles  north  of  Sitka,  and  east  of  Admiralty  Island  seventy-five  miles,  are  the 
Takoos,  living  at  the  head  of  Takoo  Inlet,  on  the  Takoo  River.  These  Indians  claim  to 
be  richer  in  furs  than  any  of  the  tribes  around  them.  About  the  same  quantity  can  be 
got  here  as  on  the  Chilkaht.  Some  idea  may  be  gathered  of  the  large  trade  at  one 
time  done  with  them  when  I  state  but  a  short  time  ago  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
made  their  trade  lease  from  the  Russian-American  Company's  furs  taken  in  a  single  trip 
of  their  steamer  over  five  thousand  marten  skins,  and  other  valuable  skins  in  proportion. 

The  Takoos  number  about  the  same  as  the  Chilkahts,  and  are  a  proud  and  haughty 
race.  Gold  is  well  known  to  exist  anywhere  along  this  river,  but  the  Indians  have 
steadily  refused  to  permit  any  development.  Coal  is  also  found  here  in  large  quanti- 
ties ;  indeed  it  is  found  throughout  the  coast  and  islands  of  our  inland  waters.  Of 
salmon  it  would  be  invidious  to  particularize  ;  they  are  found  in  endless  numbers  any- 
where in  our  fresh-water  streams.  The  largest  and  best  are  found  in  the  Takoo,  Chil- 
kaht, Behring's  Bay  and  Copper  River,  reaching  an  enormous  size,  many  of  them  weigh- 
ing seventy  pounds. 

Give  Alaska  a  market  and  she  will  soon  develop  a  second  New  England. 

The  conformation  of  our  mountain  ranges  are  not  unlike  those  of  Washington,  Ore- 
gon, and  California.  They  form  our  coast  and  are  iron-clad — a  greater  portion  of  them 
iron.  A  distance  of  twenty  or  thirty  miles  will  pass  one  through  this  range,  where  is 
found  an  almost  level  plateau  well  covered  with  timber.  This  plateau  extends  inland 
for  a  distance  of  from  seventy-five  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  when  another  chain 
of  mountains  is  reached,  answering  to  what  is  known  as  the  Cascade  Range  in  Oregon, 
or  the  Blue  Range  in  California. 

There  can  be  no  doubt,  from  what  the  Indians  tell  us,  in  this  plateau,  between  the 
two  ranges,  the  prospects  will  at  no  distant  day  develop  a  field  as  rich  in  the  precious 
minerals  as  any  found  in  the  southward. 
Very  respectfully, 

F.  K.  LOUTHAN. 

Hon.  VINCENT  COLYER, 

Fort  Wrangle,  A.  T. 


APPENDIX  C  2. 
Letter  from  Frank  Mdhoney  on  the  Indians  and  their  trade  in  Eastern  Alaska. 

SITKA,  A.  T. 

DEAR  SIR  :  In  compliance  with  your  request  I  give  you  my  views  in  relation  to  the 
various  Indian  tribes  of  this  Territory  as  far  as  my  observation  goes.  In  regard  to  the 
population  and  number  of  some  of  the  tribes  I  have  no  data  ;  of  others  I  can  speak 
from  observation  ;  that  is  to  say,  from  Cook's  Inlet  to  the  southern  boundary. 

From  what  I  can  learn  of  the  extreme  nortlrwest,  in  the  Behring  Sea  to  the  Straits, 
the  Indians  lead  a  wandering  life,  and  are  variously  designated  as  the  "  Kochunsky," 
"  Onossky,"  "  Cagatsky,"  and  "Colching."  These  tribes  are  estimated  from  four  thou- 
sand to  five  thousand.  During  the  winter  months,  say  from  October  to  April,  they  will 
wander  over  immense  tracts  of  country  in  bands  of  from  fifty  to  one  hundred,  sometimes 
undergoing  great  privation ;  and  it  has  been  said  that  they  will  sometimes  sacrifice  one  of 
their  number  to  save  the  rest  from  starvation.  Their  occupation  is  trapping  and  hunt- 
ing the  reindeer.  They  will  travel  during  this  season  of  the  year  from  the  valley  of 
Youkon  to  Copper  River,  stopping  for  short  periods  where  game  and  furs  are  plenty. 
They  will  sometimes  touch  the  shores  of  Prince  William's  Sound,  Cook's  Inlet,  and  also 
the  western  shore,  in  Behring  Sea.  The  skins  they  collect  are  fine  marten,  mink,  silver 
and  black  fox.  The  few  natives  the  writer  has  seen,  shows  them  to  be  a  peaceable 
race  and  respectful  to  the  white  man,  looking  upon  him  as  a  superior;  there  is  no 
doubt  but  they  could  be  shaped  into  useful  citizens  in  time. 


REPOET    OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 


123 


To  the  south,  on  the  Aleutian  chain  of  islands  and  on  the  peninsula  of  Unalaska,  are 
the  Aleutes.  a  very  quiet  race,  and  nearly  all  Christians.  Their  number  is  said  to  he 
ahout  seven  thousand.  Those  living  on  the  islands  are  engaged  in  fur-sealing,  sea- 
otter  hutting,  and  trapping  the  fox,  of  which  there  are  the  silver,  cross,  and  red.  They 
are  found  employed  at  the  different  trading  posts  in  the  Territory. 

The  Indians  of  Cook's  Inlet  and  adjacent  waters  are  called  "  Kanisky."  They  are 
settled  along  the  shore  of  the  inlet  and  on  the  east  shore  of  the  peninsula.  A  very  so- 
ciable race  of  Indians,  their  number  is  from  five  hundred  to  eight  hundred.  During 
the  winter  months  they  leave  the  shores  for  the  purpose  of  hunting  and  trapping, 
when  in  the  spring  they  return  to  their  summer  homes,  dispose  of  their  winter  pro- 
ducts to  traders  for  tea,  sugar,  tobacco,  sheeting,  prints,  clothiug,  flour,  hardware,  such 
as  knives,  axes,  hatchets,  &c.  The-spring  and  summer,  till  the  latter  part  of  June,  is 
passed  in  idleness,  when  the  salmon  season  commences,  and  lasts  until  August,  when 
they  dry  large  quantities  of  salmon,  weighing  from  forty  to  one  hundred  pounds  each. 

East  of  Cook's  Inlet,  in  Prince  William's  Sound,  there  are  but  few  Indians;  they 
are  called  "  Nuchusk."  There  may  be  about  four  hundred  in  all.  with  some  few  Aleutes. 

Hutchinson,  Kohlo  &  Co.  have  a  post  on  the  south  end  of  Heuenbrooke  Island,  which 
is  the  depot  for  the  furs  that  come  down  the  Copper  River,  although  they  collect  many 
sea-otter,  for  wliich  the  shore  about  the  mouth  of  Copper  River  and  around  Middleton 
Island  is  famous. 

Every  year,  the  middle  of  June,  three  or  four  large  skin-canoes,  capable  of  carrying 
five  tons  each,  are  sent  up  Copper  River,  loaded  with  trading  goods,  done  up  in  one- 
hundred-pouud  packages,  covered  with  water-tight  skins,  so  that  should  accident  hap- 
pen, which  not  uufrequently  occurs,  the  goods  are  portable  to  handle.  It  takes  about 
eighty  days  to  make  the  trip ;  the  canoes  are  hauled  most  of  the  way  on  the  ice,  on 
their  ascent  of  the  river.  On  the  return,  the  winter  collection  of  furs  are  brought 
down,  the  river  then  being  clear  of  ice.  The  magazine  is  about  eighty  miles  up  the  river. 
The  Indians  about  Copper  River  are  called  "  Maduussky,"  or  Copper  Indians,  and  may 
be  classed  with  the  wandering  tribes.  To  the  east,  along  the  coast,  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  from  the  mouth  of  Copper  River,  we  come  to  Behring  Bay.  The  most 
northern  of  the  Kolosh  Indians,  of  which  there  are  numerous  tribes,  exteuding-to  Port- 
land Canal,  all  speak  the  same  language  with  a  little  difference  in  dialect.  They 
are  a  savage  and  piratical  race,  and  as  a  general  thing  are  not  to  be  trusted.  Fear  of 
punishment  for  outrages  keeps  them  in  order. 

I  herewith  add  a  list  of  the  tribes  from  Behring  Bay  to  the  southern  boundary  : 


Residence. 

Name  of  tribe. 

Number. 

Behrinf  Bav  

Yncatat         .       . 

300 

Stikine 

1  200 

Behring  Bay  

Ton«a8  

800 

Cross  Sound  .                          .. 

500 

Cross  Sound  

Whinega,  (Interior)  .. 

800 

Chilkaht  Inlet  

Chilkaht        .         ... 

2,500 

Chilkaht  Inlet  

300 

Stephen  Passage  

Takon  

2,000 

Stephen  Passage  

Sitka 

1  000 

Admiralty  Island  

1  000 

Admiraltv  Island  

Kake   

750 

A  dmiralty  Island  .  ,,..,, 

Auk     .     . 

750 

Of  the  Yucatat  tribe,  they  have  but  few  furs  in  the  winter ;  they  do  nothing  in  spring. 
They  trade  and  trap  with  some  Indians  to  the  south  of  them,  who  live  on  some  small 
streams  that  empty  into  the  ocean.  I  could  get  no  information  from  them  respecting  their 
neighbors,  respecting  their  numbers  and  language.  All  they  said  was,  that  they  were 
more  numerous  than  themselves,  and  they  made  good  trade  with  them  for  marten,  mink. 
fox,  bear,  wolverine,  and  lynx,  for  which  they  gave  them  tobacco,  brown  sheeting, 
needles,  thread,  knives,  buttons,  beads,  &c. 

The  Yucatats  have  been  in  the  habit  of  trading  with  the  Sitkas  and  Chilkahts,  who 
in  the  summer  season  pay  them  visits,  taking  from  Sitka  such  articles  as  dry  goods, 
powder,  shot,  knives,  and  trinkets,  bringing  back  furs. 

The  Whinegas  have  but  few  furs;  they  are  chiefly  employed  in  hair-seal  fishing,  of 
which  they  get  abuudance  ;  they  get  in  trade  about  eight  cents  apiece  for  them.  They 
also  get  some  marten,  mink,  fox,  and  bear  from  Cross  Sound. 

We  go  north  to  Chilkaht.  at  the  head  of  the  inlet  so  named,  where  there  is  a  river  on 
which  there  are  three  villages ;  each  village  is  presided  over  by  a  chief. 

The  Chilkahts  are  the  most  numerous  of  all  the  Kolosh  tribes.  They  catch  some  furs 
about  their  own  grounds,  but  the  greater  portion  comes  from  the  interior,  or  where 
they  go  to  trade  twice  a  year,  spring  and  fall.  There  is  no  doubt  but  they  make  a  big 
profit  on  the  skins  they  bring  down. 


124          REPORT    OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

Nothing  is  known  of  these  interior  Indians,  only  what  the  Coast  Indians  say,  that 
they  are  called  "Si-him-e-na,  or  Stick  Indians."  They  will  allow  no  whites  to  pass  up 
the  rivers.  The  trade  which  the  Coast  Indians  take  into  the  interior  consists  of  dry 
goods,  blankets,  tobacco,  powder,  shot,  and  light  flint-lock  muskets,  if  they  can  get  them. 
Although  the  ammunition  and  muskets  are  a  prohibited  trade  in  this  Territory,  still 
the  Indians  get  them  from  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  at  Fort  Simpson.  Steel  traps, 
knives,  hatchets,  needles  and  thread,  and  little  cheap  jewelry,  form  their  principal 
trade,  for  which  they  get  in  exchange,  marten,  mink,  silver,  cross,  and  red  fox,  black, 
brown,  and  grizzly  bear,  lynx,  wolverine,  ermine,  beaver,  land  otter,  and  some  inferior 
skins.  The  price  they  give  may  be  represented  thus :  Marten,  50  cents ;  mink,  25  cents  ; 
lynx,  20  cents ;  silver  fox,  f>  1  25 ;  cross  and  red  fox,  from  25  cents  to  50  cents  ;  wolver- 
ine, 37-^  cents;  bear,  black,  50  cents  to  $1  50;  be'ar,  grizzly,  50  cents  to  $1  50;  bear, 
brown,  50  cents;  beaver,  20  cents  to  40  cents  ;  land  otter,  50  cents. 

These  they  exchange  with  the  trader  at  an  advance  of  from  two  hundred  to  four  hun- 
dred per  cent,  for  such  articles  as  they  require.     The  traders'  tariff  may  be  quoted :  For 
imuts  and  sheeting,  25  cents  per  yard ;  tobacco,  $1  50  per  pound ;  molasses,  $1  per  gal- 
on ;  powder,  $1  50  per  pound  ;  shot,  50  cents  per  pound ;  blankets,  (assorted,)  $3  to  $6. 
Steel  traps,  knives,  vermilion,  flour,  hard  bread,  beans,  rice,  and  some  few  articles  in 
the  way  of  clothing,  pants,  shirts,  (cotton  and  woollen,)  blue  cloth  caps  with  glazed 
covers,  shoes,  and  some  minor  articles. 

The  trading  prices  for  skins  are:  Marten,  $2  to  $3;  inink,  25  cents  to  $1  50;  bear, 
black,  $1  50  to  $3  50  ;  bear,  grizzly,  $1  to  $3  10 ;  bear,  brown,  50  cents  to  $2  50  ;  fox, 
silver,  $4 ;  fox,  cross,  $1  50  to  $2 ;  fox,  red,  75  cents  to  $1 ;  beaver,  80  cents  to  $1  per 
pound ;  laud  otter,  $1  50  to  $2 ;  hair  seal,  8  cents  to  10  cents  ;  deer  skins,  15  cents  to  20 
cents. 

The  above  may  answer  for  the  Indians  from  Chilkaht  to  Portland  Inlet.  Of  the  Ta- 
koos,  the  same  may  be  said  as  of  the  Chilkahts  and  tribes  above  Stephen's  Passage. 

On  the  east  of  Admiralty  Island  are  the  Koot-se-noos.  They  have  but  few  furs,  but 
collect  considerable  hair  seal  and  deer  skins.  They  also  raise  quantities  of  potatoes  of 
good  quality  and  fair  size. 

Coming  east  through  Pearl  Straits  to  Sitka  are  the  tribe  of  that  name.  They  are 
employed  in  trading  with  the  other  tribes,  hunting,  and  fishing,  and  are  employed  as 
porters  and  laborers  about  the  town  of  Sitka.  They  also  cut  nearly  all  the  cord  wood 
that  is  used  by  the  citizens.  They  may  be  considered  very  useful  adjuncts  of  the  town 
citizens,  as  they  are  the  chief  purveyors,  supplying  them  with  all  kinds  of  fish  and 
game,  such  as  ducks,  geese,  venison,  grouse,  &c. 

Going  south  arouud  Baranof  Island,  and  up  through  a  portion  of  Chatham  Straits, 
we  come  to  the  Rat  tribe  on  Kyro  and  Kespriano  Islands.  They  catch  some  furs,  such 
as  lynx,  bear,  and  hair  seal,  besides  trading  with  some  of  their  neighbors.  Their  trade 
has  fallen  off  considerably  since  the  occupation  of  the  Territory  by  the  Americans. 
They  formerly  were  in  the  habit  of  getting  their  trading  goodd  from  small  crafts  from 
Victoria,  but  at  present  the  Indians  north,  south,  east,  for  two  hundred  miles,  either 
come  to  Sitka  or  get  their  wants  supplied  from  small  crafts  that  load  or  are  owned  by 
Sitka  merchants. 

Passing  east  and  south  through  Frederick's  Sound,  we  come  to  Wrangle  Island  and 
the  mouth  of  the  Stityne  River,  where  are  the  villages  of  the  Stikine  tribe.  They 
were  some  years  ago  a  numerous  tribe,  but  liquor  and  its  concomitant  vices  materially 
lessened  their  numbers.  They  collect  considerable  marten,  mink,  bear,  and  lynx. 
They  have  formerly  carried  on  considerable  trade  with  the  interior  tribes,  but  since  the 
discovery  of  gold  in  1862,  the  competition  of  the  whites  has  lessened  their  trade. 

The  furs  that  are  collected  in  this  section  are  principally  disposed  of  at  Fort  Wrangle. 

To  the  west  and  south  of  Prince  of  Wales  Island  is  an  off-shoot  of  the  Hydah  or 
Queen  Charlotte  Island  Indians.  They  number  some  three  hundred  and  are  called 
An-e-ga.  They,  it  may  be  said,  are  the  onlylndiaus  from  Behring  Bay  to  Portland 
Inlet  that  speak  a  different  language  from  the  rest.  They  raise  considerable  quantities 
of  potatoes,  trap  mink,  bear,  and  beaver.  They  also  go  up  the  Naas  River  in  March 
for  the  collection  of  the  hoolicon  or  candle-fish  oil,  which,  when  pressed,  is  as  well 
flavored  as  leaf  lard. 

In  Clarence  Straits  and  adjacent  islands  they  are  the  connecting  link  between  the 
Kolosh  race  and  Simpsians  on  the  British  side.  They  speak  the  Kolosh,  Simpsian,  and 
Hydah  tongue.  They  catch  considerable  mink,  bear,  beaver,  wolverine,  and  some  sea 
otter.  The  An-e-gas  collect  large  quantities  of  caudle-fish  oil  or  grease.  It  is  put  up 
iu  tight  cedar  boxes,  from  fifty  to  eighty  pounds,  and  taken  north  as  far  as  Chilkaht,  and 
brings  good  prices  in  furs. 

The  Indians  from  Puget  Sound  to  the  northwest  catch  and  dry  large  quantities  of 
salmon;  the  further  north  the  better  the  salmon. 

In  Cook's  Inlet  the  salmon  commence  running  in  June  and  deteriorate  in  quality  as 
they  go  south.  July  and  August  are  the  months  about  the  latitude  of  Sitka,  and  grad- 
ually later  as  they  go  south,  so  that  at  Puget  Sound  in  September  and  October  they 
are  the  most  plentiful,  and  not  as  good  flavor. 


REPORT    OF   THE    COMMISSION   ON   INDIAN   AFFAIRS.         125 

Take  the  Indians  of  the  coast  of  the  Territory  they  are  as  well  supplied  with  the 
necessaries  of  life  as  the  aborigines  of  any  country  in  the  world.  The  forests  are  rilled 
with  game,  the  waters  with  h'sh,  and  the  beach  and  rocks  with  clams  and  muscles. 
They  are  a  healthy  and  vigorous  race;  both  men  and  women  can  hack  very  heavy  loads. 
The  men  and  women  are  more  on  an  equality  than  the  Indians  of  Puget  Sound  and 
east  of  the  Cascade  range.  They  are  steady  and  good  workers  for  a  short  time — say 
one  month — when  they  like  to  knock  off  for  about  the  same  time.  The  writer  thinks 
that  it  would  be  an  impossibility  to  turn  the  Indian  from  his  vagabond  life.  The  change 
to  order,  with  laws  and  schools,  might  last  for  a  short  time,  but  the  novelty  would  wear 
off.  and  they  would  fall  back  into  their  old  ways.  They  soon  pick  up  the  vices  with 
none  of  the  virtues  of  the  whites.  It  is  the  opinion  of  the  writer  that  it  would  take  a 
generation  to  shape  them  into  useful  citizens,  although  a  partial  success  has  been  ob- 
tained by  Mr.  Duncan  a  short  distance  below  Fort  Simpson  with  the  Chimpaians,  and 
still  they  faU  off. 

The  writer  is  not  at  all  prejudiced  against  the  Indians.     Wherever  he  has  come  in 
contact  with  them,  which  has  been  much  in  the  last  sixteen  years,  he  has  endeavored 
to  show  them  the  bad  policy  of  their  predatory  ways :  show  them  advantages  which 
can  accrue  by  industry,  that  this  may  act  as  a  stimulant. 
Respectfully  yours, 

FRANK  MAHONY. 

Hon.  VlXCEXT   COLYER, 

Special  United  States  Indian  Commissioner. 


APPENDIX  D. 

Inquiry  as  to  causes  of  violation  of  liquor  law. 

SITKA,  ALASKA,  September  14,  1869. 

DEAR  SIR  :  I  find  that  a  large  quantity  of  Avhisky  gets  into  the  hands  of  the  ludiars 
in  Alaska.  In  a  conference  with  several  of  the  chiefs  this  morning  I  learn  that  this 
AV.-IS  the  cause  of  a  riotous  disturbance  in  their  village  at  this  place  last  evening,  and 
these  chiefs  earnestly  requested  that  its  introduction  might  be  stopped.  Of  course  you 
are  aware  that  the  traffic  in  this  article  is  interdicted  by  special  act  of  Congress.  Will 
you  inform  me  what  in  your  opinion  is  the  reason  that  so  much  of  this  pernicious  poison 
escapes  the  vigilance  of  the  revenue  officers  and  finds  its  way  into  the  Territory  ? 
Very  respectfully  yours, 

VINCENT  COLYER, 
Special  United  States  Indian  Commissioner. 
WILLIAM  KAPUS,  Esq., 

Collector  of  Customs,  Distinct  of  Alaska. 


Eeply  of  Collector  Kapus. 

CUSTOM-HOUSE,  SITKA,  ALASKA,  September  14,  1869. 

SIR  :  I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter  of  to-day,  requesting 
me  to  inform  you  what,  in  my  opinion,  is  the  reason  that  so  much  spirituous  liquors  seem 
to  escape  the  vigilance  of  the  revenue  officers  and  finds  its  way  into  this  Territory. 

In  answer,  I  would  state  that  great  inducements  are  offered  to  unprincipled  men  for 
bringing  liquor  into  this  country,  as  they  can  purchase  from  the  Indians  for  one  bottle 
of  whisky  more  furs  than  rive  times  the  value  of  the  whisky  in  money  would  procure. 
The  Indian's  fondness  of  intoxicating  liquor  is  well  known,  and  white  men,  actuated 
by  the  desire  of  making  all  the  money  they  can,  and  not  caring  about  the  means  by 
which  they  reach  this  end,  take  advantage  of  this  unfortunate  taste,  visit  their  villages 
and  fisheries  and  deal  out  to  them  the  poison,  which  has  almost  in  every  instance  been 
at  the  bottom  of  our  Indian  difficulties. 

The  question  arises,  how  is  this  liquor  brought  into  this  Territory  without  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  revenue  officers?  On  your  trip  to  this  port  you  will  have  noticed  the  pecu- 
liar formation  of  the  coast — all  the  way  from  Pnget  Sound  it  is  one  continued  archipel- 
ago, the  island  being  separated  by  narrow  but  mostly  deep  chanrels ;  small  vessels 
can  run  through  these  channels  and  into  the  numerous  bays  making  iato  the  coast,  and 
land  their  cargoes  without  running  hardly  any  risk  of  being  caught  by  the  revenue 
officers.  These  small  vessels,  schooners,  and  sloops  go  to  Fort  Simpson,  Queen  Char- 
lott's  Island,  and  other  English  trading  posts,  and  smuggle  liquor  across  our  line.  The 
cutter  Lincoln  is  now  in  pursuit  of  a  man  by  the  name  of  Charles  Stevens,  who  has 


126          REPORT    OF   THE    COMMISSION   ON   INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

been  reported  to  me  as  being  in  our  waters  -with  a  full  cargo  of  liquor  on  board  of  his 
vessel  But  this  traffic  is  not  confined  to  white  men ;  Indians,  too,  visit,  in  their  canoes, 
our  English  neighbors ;  they  will  travel  hundreds  of  miles  to  procure  a  supply  of  this 
liquid  tire.  Another  mode  of  introducing  it  into  this  district  is  to  smuggle  it  into  this 
port,  and  from  thence  ship  it  to  the  different  points  Avhere  it  is  wanted  for  purposes  of 
trade  with  the  Indians.  Only  day  before  yesterday  I  discovered  such  an  attempt,  and 
seized  ninety-two  cans  of  alcohol,  of  five  gallons  ea«h,  which  had  been  packed  in  coal- 
oil  boxes,  and  was  sought  to  be  landed  as  coal  oil. 

What  is  wanted  in  this  district  is  a  small  steam  cutter  of  say  from  twenty-five  to 
fifty  tons  burden,  of  light  draught,  but  great  speed  ;  a  vessel  that  would  be  able  to  run 
through  all  the  channels  and  into  all  the  bays ;  with  such  a  vessel  I  could  intercept  all 
the  crafts  engaged  in  smuggling  liquor,  and  follow  and  arrest  all  traders  violating  any 
of  the  laws  pertaining  to,  and  intended  to  prevent,  this  traffic.  With  the  means  now  at 
my  command  I  am  almost  entirely  helpless.  The  cutter  Reliance,  being  a  sailing  ves- 
sel, is  unable  to  make  her  way  through  the  islands  with  any  degree  of  speed  or  safety, 
and  the  steam  cutter  Lincoln  is  prevented  by  her  size  and  draught  of  water  from  being 
effective  in  this  service. 

Since  I  entered  upon  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  my  office,  July  1  last,  I  have  made 
numerous  seizures  of  liquors  brought  into  the  Territory  in  violation  of  law ;  but  I  am 
satisfied,  had  I  had  a  vessel  of  the  above  description  under  my  control,  my  success 
would  have  been  greater. 

I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

WILLIAM  KAPUS,  Collector. 

Hon.  VINCENT  COLYER, 

Special  U.  S.  Indian  Commissioner,  Sitka,  Alaska. 


APPENDIX  G. 
Letter  from  Captain  Selden  on  evasions  of  liquor  law. 

UNITED  STATES  REVENUE  CUTTER  RELIANCE, 

Sitka,  Alaska,  September  14,  1869. 

DEAR  SIR  :  I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter  of  this  date, 
requesting  me  to  inform  you  what,  in  my  opinion,  is  the  reason  that  so  much  spirituous 
liquor  gets  into  the  hands  of  the  Indians  in  Alaska,  and  escapes  the  vigilance  of  the 
revenue  officers. 

In  answer  I  must  confess  that  large  quantities  are  brought  into  the  Territory  and 
peddled  to  the  Indians  along  the  whole  extent  of  water-line  of  this  Territory,  and  I 
feel  assured  it  will  continue  so  until  we  are  furnished  with  small  steam-vessels  for  the 
inland  channels.  I  have  every  reason  to  believe  that  the  most  of  this  liquor  is  brought 
to  the  Territory  by  small  vessels,  trading  all  the  way  from  Victoria,  Vancouver  Island, 
to  some  point  near  this  port.  What  we  want  to  break  up  this  traffic  is  two  steam-tugs 
or  launches  of  light  draught  of  water,  so  arranged  that  they  can  burn  either  coal  or  wood. 
They  would  not  require  a  large  force  to  man  them,  and  they  would  be  found  very 
effective  in  protecting  the  revenue. 

At  the  present  time  we  have  two  cutters  in  this  district :  the  Lincoln,  a  steam-ves- 
sel of  four  lumdred  tons,  kept  cruising  through  the  season  in  Behring's  Sea,  and  to  the 
westward;  the  Reliance,  a  sailing-vessel,  which  cannot  cruise  inland,  owing  to  the 
strong  tides  and  intricate  channels  ;  and  in  fact  a  sailing-vessel  is  of  no  earthly  use  in 
these  waters.  With  such  force  as  we  have  at  our  command  it  is  unreasonable  to  ex- 
pect us  to  prevent  illicit  traffic. 

I  am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  M.  SELDEN, 

Captain  United  States  Revenue  Marine. 
Hon.  VINCENT  COLYER, 

Special  United  Slates  Indian  Commissioner. 


Letter  from  Collector  Kapus  on  the  sale  of  liquors  by  auction,  at  Sitka,  in  Alaska. 

CUSTOMS  DISTRICT  OF  ALASKA,  COLLECTOR'S  OFFICE, 

Port  of  Siika,  October  25,  1869. 

SIR  :  I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter  of  the  18th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1869,  making  certain  inquiries  concerning  the  recent  illegal  importation  of  spir- 
ituous liquors  into  this  Territory,  and  in  reply,  that  the  alcohol  referred  to  in  my  letter 
of  the  14th  of  September  last  was  brought  here  in  the  United  States  steamer  Nov/bcrn. 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS.          127 

As  the  value  of  this  liquor  exceeded  8^00  I  seized  the  entire  invoice  of  the  shippers, 
Messrs.  Kiukead  &  Louthau,  amounting,  according  to  the  appraiser's  report,  to  $6,664  50, 
aud  have  reported  the  case  to  the  honorable  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  for  his  orders. 

Messrs.  Kinkead  &  Louthan  have  offered,  in  addition  to  the  forfeiture  of  their  goods, 
to  pay  to  the  government  the  sum  of  £500  as  a  line,  in  full  discharge  of  all  liabilities  they 
may  have  incurred  in  the  premises.  I  have  recommended  that  this  otter  be  accepted, 
as  it  is  the  full  penalty  of  the  law,  and  I  am  satisfied  that  nothing  would  be  gained  by 
throwing  the  case  into  court. 

Colonel  Frank  N.  Wicker,  the  special  agent  of  the  Treasury  Department  for  this  dis- 
trict, has, joined  me  in  this  recommendation.  I  did  not  seize  the  ship,  because  she  was 
a  United  States  transport,  audit  would  have  been  a  mere  farce  for  the  government  to 
have  confiscated  its  own  property;  but  I  did  arrest  the  captain,  W.  Freeman,  jr.,  and 
placed  him  under  $10,000  bond  to  appear  before,  and  deliver  himself  up  to,  any  court  of 
the  United  States  that  may  be  designated  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury. 

In  regard  to  the  probable  disposal  of  this  liquor  I  will  quote  from  my  report  to  the 
department  of  September  18,  1869  :  "  I  would  also  ask,  in  case  the  course  above  recom- 
mended be  adopted,  that  I  be  authorized  to  send  the  alcohol  and  spirituous  liquors  to 
San  Francisco  and  have  them  sold  at  public  auction.  To  sell  and  deliver  this  class  of 
goods  here  would  virtually  be  an  evasion  of  the  la\v  ;  aud  if  they  are  sold  on  condi- 
tion that  they  be  shipped  out  of  the  Territory,  they  would  not  bring  near  their  true 
value." 

The  liquors  that  were  seized  by  me  in  the  month  of  August  from  on  board  the  steam- 
ship Active  were  sold  at  this  port  on  the  14th  instant,  but  were  delivered  to  the  pur- 
chasers only  in  limited  quantities  for  the  use  of  the  white  inhabitants,  and,  as  the  law 
requires,  upon  the  written  permits  of  the  general  commanding  the  department. 

Wishing  you  safe  journey  to  your  home  in  the  eastern  States,  and  earnestly  request- 
ing that  you  will  use  the  influence  of  your  position  to  bring  the  many  disadvantages 
under  which  we  are  laboring  in  this  remote  comer  of  the  Uuion  to  the  attention  of  the 
proper  authorities, 

I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

WILLIAM  KAPUS, 

Collector. 

Hon.  VINCENT  COLTER, 

Special  United  States  Indian  Commissioner,  Sitka,  A.  T. 


VIOLATION  OF  LIQUOR  LAW. 

UNITED  STATES  REVENUE  STEAMER  LINCOLN, 

Sitka,  August  .30,  1869. 

SIR  :  Upon  leaving  the  vessel  on  the  17th  of  July,  1869,  in  Bristol  Bay,  accompanied 
by  Dr.  Mclntyre,  special  agent,  I  proceeded  to  the  settlement  on  the  Neuchegac  River. 
We  boarded  and  examined  on  the  way  up  the  schooner  General  Harney,  M.  Levi,  mas- 
ter. Captain  Levi  was  then  at  the  settlement.  We  landed  at  the  village  about  5  p.  in., 
and  found  three  persons  grossly  intoxicated;  two  Russians  (traders)  and  native, 
(acting  priest.)  We  accused  Captain  Levi  of  having  sold  liquor  to  the  natives;  he 
said  that  he  had  sold  nothing  more  than  nine  (9)  bottles  of  ale,  at  the  same  time  he 
had  a  bottle  of  whisky  in  his  possession,  which  he  said  \vas  for  his  own  use. 
Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

M.  A.  HEALY, 

Second  Lieutenant,  United  States  Revenue  Marine, 
Captain  JOHN  H.  MENRIGUES. 

Official : 

SAMUEL  B.  McINTYRE, 

First  Lieutenant  Second  Artillery  and  Bet.  Capt.  U.  8.  A., 

Acting  Assistant  Adjutant  General. 


VIOLATION  OF  LIQUOR  LA\V  BY  COAST  TRADERS. 

UNITED  STATES  REVENUE  CUTTER  LINCOLN, 

Sitka,  Alaska  Territory,  August  30,  1869. 

SIR  :  This  steamer  in  cruising  during  the  present  summer  visited  Neuchegack  River, 
Bristol  Bay,  arriving  at  that  place  July  17. 
It  became  a  necessity  to  obtain  a  pilot  for  the  navigation  of  Bristol  Bay  and  Neuch- 


128          REPORT    OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

gack  River,  and  a  boat  was  accordingly  dispatched  tinder  an  officer  to  obtain  one — the 
vessel  being  at  anchor  in  bay,  and  not  arriving  at  anchorage  in  Neuchgack  River  until 
morning.  Second  Lieutenant  M.  A.  Healy  was  the  officer  in  charge  of  boat,  Special 
Agent  Dr.  H.  H.  Mclntyre  accompanying  him.  They  went  up  to  trading  post,  and 
remained  until  arrival  of  steamer,  coming  on  board  the  following  day.  I  am  informed 
by  these  parties  that  three  persons  were  found  drunk  on  shore,  two  being  Russians, 
the  third  a  native,  (officiating  priest.)  This  liquor  I  am  satisfied  was  furnished  by  the 
schooner  General  Harney,  Marquis  Levi,  master,  lying  at  anchorage  in  the  river.  I 
have  every  reason  to  think  Captain  Levi  traded  with  these  people  while  in  this  condi- 
tion. It  is  quite  certain  that  no  liquor  was  in  the  place  until  the  arrival  of  the  General 
Harney,  and  Captain  Levi  has  admitted  that  the  persons  named  did  get  drunk  on  his 
vessel,  saying,  however,  it  was  by  accident,  he  inviting  them  on  board  as  guests,  and 
they  getting  drunk  at  his  table. 

I  respectfully  submit  the  above  for  your  consideration  and  action. 
I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  yours, 

JOHN  A.  HENRIQFES, 
Captain  United  States  Revenue  Marine. 
Major  General  J.  C.  DAVIS, 

Commanding  Department  of  Alaska. 

Official : 

SAMUEL  B.  McINTYRE, 
first  Lieutenant  Second  Artillery  and  Bvt.  Capt.  U.  S.  A., 

Acting  Assistant  Adjutant  General. 


VIOLATION  OF  THE  LIQUOR  LAW  BY  THE  AMERICAN-RUSSIAN  ICE  COMPANY'S  SHIPS. 

UNALASKA,  August  19,  1869. 

In  the  month  of  May  the  ship  Casarowhitz  landed  at  Bilkofsky,  in  Alaska  Territory. 
The  day  after  its  arrival  there  were  brought  ashore  two  small  kegs  of  rive  gallons 
whisky ;  the  inhabitants  were  assembled  and  were  made  drunk.  Then  Captain  Sand- 
man showed  them  a  paper  with  a  large  seal  affixed,  and  told  the  natives  that  it  was  a 
permit  from  General  Davis  to  land  the  whisky,  and  furthermore  told  them  that  they 
were  not  to  trade  with  any  company  but  his.  A  day  or  two  after  that  about  forty 
gallons  of  whisky  and  eight  casks  of  California  brand  were  lauded  from  the  same  ship 
Casarowbitz ;  during  the  night-time  there  was  a  ball  and  the  natives  again  had  a  drunk. 
The  day  before  its  departure  the  ship  lauded  about  forty  gallons  more  of  whisky.  I 
am  certain  that  he  told  those  Aleutes  that  for  each  sea  otter  brought  to  the  store  of  that 
company  a  bottle  of  brandy  would  be  given.  He  bought  for  a  bottle  of  brandy  a 
small  sea  otter  from  a  certain  Kaudrat  of  Kazutin.  Every  feast  day  he  gives  the 
Taye  (chief)  a  bottle  of  brandy,  as  also  to  others,  and  one  may  see  any  day  drunken 
Aleutes  about  the  store. 

In  May,  1868,  the  brig  Olga  came  to  Bilkofsky,  and  got  the  Aleutes  drunk.  The 
Taye  was  told  that  the  Russian  company  would  punish  him  if  he  traded  with  any 
other  concern,  (than  his,)  and  the  natives  believe  that  they  will  be  punished. 

CARL  OSCHE. 

True  translation  of  original : 

S.  C.  KELLOGG, 
Brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel   U.  S.  A.,  Aide-de-Camp. 

HEADQUARTERS  DEPARTMENT  OF  ALASKA, 

Sitka,  Alaska,  September  17,  1869. 

A  true  copy : 

SAMUEL  B.  McINTIRE, 
First  Lieutenant  Second  Artillery  and  Brevet  Captain  U.  S.  A.,  A.  A.  A.  G. 


APPENDIX  E. 
Medical  Director  Bailey  on  intemperance  and  debauchery. 

SITKA,  ALASKA  TERRITORY,  October  25, 1869. 

MY  DEAR  SIR  :  I  inclose  for  yonr  information  the  report  of  Acting  Assistant  Surgeon 
John  A.  Tonner,  United  States  Army,  in  medical  charge  of  the  Indians  in  this  vicinity, 
in  conformity  to  instructions  given  him  by  me.  A  copy  of  the  same  is  inclosed. 


REPORT    OF   THE    COMMISSION    OX    INDIAN    AFFAIRS.          129 

This  report  is  instructive  and  contains  important  suggestions  which,  if  carried  out, 
would  go  far  towards  improving  their  condition. 

I  am  satisfied  that  little  or  nothing  cau  be  done  until  they  are  placed  under  better 
and  more  favorable  influences.  A  greater  mistake  could  not  have  been  committed  than 
stationing  troops  in  their  midst.  They  mutually  debauch  each  other,  ami  sink  into  that 
degree  of  degradation  in  which  it  is  impossible  to  reach  each  other  through  moral  or 
religiqus  iniiueuces. 

Whisky  lias  been  sold  in  the  streets  by  government  officials  at  public  auctions,  and 
examples  of  drunkenness  are  set  before  them  almost  daily,  so  that  in  fact  the  principal 
teaching  they  at  present  are  receiving  is  that  drunkenness  and  debauchery  are  held  by 
us,  not  as  criminal  and  unbecoming  a  Christian  people,  but  as  indications  of  our 
advanced  and  superior  civilization. 

These  Indians  are  a  civil  and  well-behaved  people;  they  do  not  want  bayonets  to 
keep  them  in  subjection,  but  they  do  want  honest,  faithful,  and  Christian  workers 
among  them  ;  those  that  will  care  for  them,  teach  and  instruct  them  in  useful  arts,  ami 
that  they  are  responsible  beings.  I  look  upon  the  different  military  posts  in  this 
department  as  disastrous  and  destructive  to  their  well-being ;  they  are  not,  and  can 
never  be,  of  the  least  possible  use;  they  are  only  so  many  whisky  fonts  from  whence  it 
is  spread  over  the  country.  If  we  ever  have  trouble  with  them  and  become  involved 
in  war,  it  will  be  found  to  arise  from  these  causes.  From  the  nature  and  character  of 
the  country,  posts  never  can  render  the  least  influence — afford  protection  against  contra- 
band trade  ;  this  can  only  be  done  by  armed  vessels,  in  command  of  choice  men.  To 
go  into  detail  on  all  points  would  require  pages ;  you  have  seen  enough  to  satisfy  your- 
self; and  in  giving  you  the  inclosed  report  I  only  want  to  add  my  testimony  against 
what  I  conceive  to  be  a  most  grievous  error  in  the  management  of  the  Indian  affairs 
in  this  Territory. 

When  you  go  home  send  us  honest,  faithful,  Christian  workers;  not  place-seekers,  hut 
those  who  want  to  do  good  work  for  Christ's  sake  and  kingdom.  Send  men  and  women, 
for  both  are  wanted. 

When  yon  cau  do  away  with  the  evils  spoken  of,  and  which  are  so  evident,  and 
adopt  this  latter  course,  then  there  will  be  hope,  and  nonintil  then. 
Sincerely  vour  friend, 

E.  J.  BAILEY, 
Surgeon  U.  S.  A.,  Medical  Director  Department  of  Alaska. 

Hon.  VINCENT  COLYER. 


ORDERS  ESTABLISHING  HOSPITAL  AND  MEDICAL  ATTENDANCE. 

HEADQUARTERS  DEPARTMENT  OF  ALASKA, 

MEDICAL  DIRECTOR  's  OFFICE, 
Sitka,  Alaska  Territory,  September  15,  1869. 

DOCTOR  :  In  taking  medical  charge  of  the  Indians,  in  accordance  with  the  instructions 
given  you,  you  will  ascertain  as  near  as  possible  and  report  to  this  office  the  number 
of  males,  females,  and  children  ;  their  present  sanitary  condition ;  whether  any  efforts 
have  been  made  or  are  being  made  to  improve  it ;  what  has  been  the  nature  of  the 
medical  assistance  they  have  received  heretofore ;  nature  and  character  of  disease 
among  them,  in  tabular  statements,  giving  percentage,  character  of  their  clothing 
and  food,  their  means  of  procuring  it,  to  what  extent  liquor  has  been  and  still  is  being 
introduced  among  them  ;  kind  and  condition  of  the  houses  they  occupy.  You  will 
report  what  provisions  and  arrangements  you  have  made  to  carry  out  your  instructions. 
On  every  Tuesday  you  will  forward  to  this  office  a  report  of  the  previous  week, 
giving  the  number  treated,  (males,  females  and  children, )  with  disease,  and  where  treated. 
You  will  also  report  upon  all  points  of  interest  touching  their  condition,  with  such  sug- 
gestions as  you  may  think  proper  and  practicable  that  will  advance  their  improve- 
ment. 

As  you  have  been  chosen  for  this  duty  it  is  hoped  you  will  appreciate  its  importance, 
and  enter  upon  it  with  your  usual  energy,  and  in  a  true  Christian  spirit. 
Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

E.  J.  BAILEY, 
Brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel  and  Surgeon  U.  S.  A., 

Medical  Director  Department  of  Alaska. 


Dr.  Tonner's  report  on  sanitary  condition  of  the  Sitka  Indians  and  their  village. 

SITKA,  ALASKA  TERRITORY,  October  20,  1869. 

SIR  :  In  compliance  with  your  instructions  of  September  15,  I  have  the  honor  to 
make  the  following  report : 
After  waiting  until  now  the  return  of  the  Indians  engaged  in  fishing  I  have  taken 

9 


130          REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

the  number  of  those  now  here,  and  find  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  men,  two  hundred 
and  ninety-six  women,  and  two  hundred  and  sixty  children,  making  a  total  of  nine 
hundred  and  twenty-one  now  in  village,  while  they  state  there  are  three  hundred  and 
thirty  still  absent  fishing.  These  all  live  in  forty-four  houses)  built  of  plank  set  upright 
and  roofed  with  bark.  The  floors  are  planked,  except  a  bare  place  in  the  center  where 
the  fire  is  built,  the  smoke  passing  through  an  opening  in  the  roof.  The  buildings 
average  forty  feet  in  width  and  sixty  in  depth  and  twenty  in  height  to  the  ridge. 
Small  sleeping  apartments  line  the  sides,  and  measure  generally,  six  by  eight  feet. 
Some  have  bedsteads  and  feather  beds ;  a  blanket  serves  the  majority.  Cleanliness  and 
neatness  is  generally  wanting  in  their  abodes,  although  there  are  a  few  who  in  both 
respects  are  excellent  models  for  the  rest,  and  also  the  majority  of  the  Russians  now 
here,  who  live  much  worse  than  these  Indians.  The  latter  claim  as  an  excuse  for  their 
want  of  cleanliness,  the  worse  condition  of  the  Russians  and  the  want  of  interest  shown 
in  them  previous  to  our  arrival  and  possession  of  the  country.  The  chief  has  displayed 
a  very  commendable  spirit  in  improvement  of  his  owrn  house  and  person,  and  urging 
npon  his  tribe  to  do  likewise  ;  but  more  he  was  unable  to  do,  as  his  authority  is  merely 
nominal.  A  very  filthy  practice  prevails  among  them  of  blacking  their  faces  simply  to 
conceal  other  traces  and  protect  from  the  effects  of  the  sun.  I  have  been  able  to  lessen 
the  practice  by  requiring  clean  faces  on  all  those  prescribed  for. 

Medical  attendance  has  been  furnished  them  by  the  post  surgeon  ever  since  the  arrival 
of  our  troops  here,  but  without  compensation,  while  the  labor  at  limes  was  greater 
than  that  required  by  the  troops,  and  at  all  times  more  trying.  The  diseases  most- 
common  among  them  are  syphilis,  rheumatism,  and  conjunctivitis.  The  first  is  much 
aggravated  and  diffused  by  unrestrained  intercourse  with  the  troops,  and  affects  both 
sexes  equally.  Its  constitutional  form  is  more  rare  than  among  the  troops,  partially 
owing  to  the  implicit  obedience  to  instructions  given  them  for  cure. 

Rheumatism  is  confined  to  those  past  middle  age,  who,  too  old  for  active  exercise, 
suffer  from  the  natural  effects  of  this  climate  upon  those  so  situated. 

Conjunctivitis  and  corneitis  are  very  common,  owing  to  the  constant  atmosphere 
of  smoke  in  their  houses.  Those  able  to  come  are  prescribed  for  daily  at  nine  a.  m. 
at  the  post  hospital  dispensary  ;  those  unable,  at  their  houses.  For  the  latter  a  hospital 
is  necessary  in  order  to  treat  them  properly ;  but  there  being  no  provision  for  feeding 
or  nursing  such,  I  am  unable  to  take  them  in.  There  are  two  rooms  at  the  post  hos- 
pital which  by  a  little  labor  could  be  soon  arranged  comfortably  for  them  ;  then  the 
authority  to  issue  a  ration  to  each  patient,  and  provisions  made  for  the  payment  of  ;v 
nurse,  their  needs  in  that  direction  would  be  supplied. 

A  blanket  supplies  the  unchanging  article  of  dress,  although  the  females  now  gene- 
rally wear  calico,  and  the  men  drawers  and  shirts,  besides  others  in  our  dress  when 
procurable.  Most  of  them  have  money  from  the  sale  of  wood  and  basket  work,  besides 
supplying  the  market  with  venison,  fish,  and  berries,  for  which  they  obtain  twice  as 
much  as  when  the  Russians  held  the  country.  Their  food  consists  chiefly  of  smoked 
venison,  salmon,  with  candle  fish  oil,  and  salmon  berries;  they  are  now  acquiring  a 
taste  for  rice,  beans,  and  biscuit  and  molasses. 

It  is  impossible  to  prevent  their  obtaining  liquor ;  although  its  sale  to  them  is  prohib- 
ited here,  still  the  low  Russians  obtain  it  without  hindrance,  and  retail  to  them  by  the 
drink ;  yet  I  have  seen  very  little  drinking  among  them,  and  no  disturbance  caused 
by  it. 

Their  moral  condition  is  low,  and  rendered  worse  by  the  proximity  of  the  whites,  as 
evidenced  by  the  superiority  of  the  tribes  in  other  parts  of  the  Territory  whose  rela- 
tions have  been  less  intimate  with  us.  This  is  at  the  lowest  ebb  here,  being  near  the 
largest  town.  Some  efforts  were  made  by  the  Russians  for  their  improvement,  by 
building  a  church  and  school-house.  They  have  services  in  the  former  monthly,  but 
the  latter  is  closed  since  our  occupancy,  as  no  provision  or  teacher  was  furnished  for 
its  maintenance.  It  is  a  good  buildng,  and  only  wanting  a  competent  soul-loving 
teacher  to  fill  it  at  once  with  as  bright,  apt  children  as  can  be  found  anywhere.  At 
least  one  hundred  and  fifty  are  of  the  proper  age,  and  with  these  only  can  we  hope  to 
improve  their  condition ;  those  who  have  attained  maturity  being  too  fixed  in  their 
habits  and  vices  to  make  much  impression,  (or  improvement,)  while  the  other  material 
is  plastic,  and  being  very  imitative  are  adopting  our  evil  courses,  without  a  knowledge 
of  our  good  ones.  An  eminent,  devoted  chaplain  or  missionary  at  this  place,  who  will 
take  an  interest  in  these  beings  as  immortal  souls,  with  one  or  two  equally  devoted 
teachers,  are  needed ;  the  latter  for  these  neglected  ones,  the  former  for  all  of  us. 

Trusting  that  God  will  bless  your  efforts  for  good  in  this  community,  I  remain,  very 
respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  A.  TONNER, 
Acting  Assistant  Surgeon.  United  States  Army,  Post  Surgeon. 

Brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel  E.  J.  BAILEY,  U.  S.  A., 

Medical  Director  Department  of  Alaska. 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS.          131 

APPENDIX  F. 
Letter  from  0.  B.  Carlton. 
FISHERIES  OF  SOUTHEASTERN  ALASKA. 

UNITED  STATES  QUARTERMASTERS'  STEAMER  NEWBERN, 

November  15,  1869. 

DEAR  SIR  :  I  will  reply  to  your  inquiries  concerning  the  fisheries  of  Alaska  Territory 
in  the  order  in  which  you  presented  them. 

KINDS  OF  FISH. 

The  most  of  my  experience  in  the  fisheries  of  Alaska  have  been  in  the  vicinity  of 
Sitka,  and  as  far  as  this  enables  me  to  judge,  and  from  what  I  hear,  salmon  are  the 
most  numerous.  Halibut  are  common  here,  large  numbers  are  taken  by  the  Indians 
•with  their  mde  apparatus.  With  more  improved  implements  the  halibut  could  be 
taken  in  sufficient  quantities  to  make  the  pickling  of  the  napes  and  fins  very  profitable. 
Herring  of  the  choicest  quality  are  found  throughout  the  Territory  ;  in  the  month  of 
April  can  be  caught  by  the  hundreds  of  barrels  with  the  usual  herring  nets.  I  also 
think  mackerel  will  be  caught  in  these  waters  by  following  the  same  course  pursued 
on  the  Atlantic  coast. 

I,  with  others,  in  1857  proceeded  to  Cape  St.  Lucas,  Lower  California,  where,  from 
a  passing  school,  we  caught  some  ten  barrels ;  thence  to  South  Barbara  shores,  where 
we  caught  five  hundred  barrels ;  thence  to  St.  Craps  Island,  two  hundred  barrels,  and 
from  thence  north  to  Point  Keys,  fifty  barrels,  when,  from  a  combination  of  circum- 
stances, the  enterprise  was  abandoned.  I  have  not  resumed  it  .since,  being  otherwise 
employed. 

But  from  the  fact  that  they  are  found  in  the  south,  as  also  the  case  on  the  Atlantic 
coast,  and  I  have  seen  in  Alaska  waters  such  other  fish  as  usually  school  with  them,  I 
am  confident  they  may  be  found  here. 

BY  WHOM   TAKKN. 

Last  season  I  employed  American  labor,  but  found  it  to  be  expensive  both  in  trans- 
portation and  wages  to  make  it  pay.  This  year  I  employed  Russians  mostly,  and  find 
the  expense  about  one-half  of  last  season,  but  find  them  too  indolent  to  employ  to  ad- 
vantage. Next  season  I  shall  employ  Indians  altogether,  except  coopering,  and  I  have 
no  doubt  but  they  can  also  be  taught  that  trade.  I  found  them  willing  and  industrious, 
and  kind  when  properly  treated.  They  will  work  for  less  pay  than  Americans  or 
Russians. 

ARTICLES  REQUIRED. 

The  usual  outfit,  such  as  barrels,  salt,  nets,  and  cans  for  curing  them  fresh ;  these 
have  been  taken  from  San  Francisco,  but  the  barrels  may  be  made  on  the  fishing-ground, 
as  there  is  plenty  of  lumber  for  that  purpose. 

THE   BEST  MARKETS 

Are  San  Francisco,  Sandwich  Islands,  and  New  York.  The  price  of  salmon  (with 
cod,  halibut,  and  mackerel  have  had  nothing  to  do  of  late)  ranges  from  five  dollnrs  to 
ten  dollars  a  barrel,  owing  to  quality  and  quantity  in  market  at  time  of  sale.  I  have 
had  nothing  to  do  with  canning,  but  salmon  preserved  in  this  way  are  a  great  delicacy 
and  an  important  article  of  commerce.  Salmon  are  taken  near  Sitka  in  June,  July, 
and  August,  and  some  few  in  September. 
Very  respectfully, 

O.  B.  CARLTON, 

Superintendent  of Company's  Fisheries. 

VINCENT  COLYER,  Esq., 

Special  United  States  Indian  Commissioner. 


THE   FISHERIES  OF  ALASKA. 
[From  the  Sitka  Times.]- 

Among  the  many  industries  natural  to  the  coast  of  Alaska  none  is  more  prolific  of 
wealth  to  the  enterprising  merchant  of  the  Pacific  or  eastern  slope  than  the  fisheries — 
the  cod,  halibut  salmon,  and  herring,  which  abound  in  immense  quantities  from  Ton- 
gas in  the  south,  to  Behring  Strait  in  the  west.  It  was  one  of  the  strong  reasons  set 


132  EEPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

forth  for  the  purchase  by  Mr.  Sumner  in  his  magnificent  speech  "on  the  cession  of 
Alaska."  Notwithstanding  the  fabulous  statements  made  by  him  in  relation  to  the 
fisheries,  statements  which  many  affected  at  least  to  disbelieve,  the  truth  of  all  has 
been  proven,  and  testimony  is  ample,  derived  since  the  transfer,  and  by  our  own  peo- 
ple traders,  who  have  engaged  in  the  fur  seal  and  other  fur  interests. 

We  who  live  at  Sitka,  and  thence  down  by  way  of  the  Stikiue,  Cassan,  and  Tongas, 
know  the  prolificness  of  the  salmon  fisheries,  and  its  ultimate  importance  and  value. 

The  American-Russian  Commercial  Company,  one  of  the  few  associations  of  men 
•who  have  shown  enterprise,  have  an  extensive  establishment,  O/ersky  employing  some 
twenty  men  in  constant  service  from  March  to  October.  Last  season,  owing  to  bad 
nets  and  nets  unsuitable  for  the  catch,  they  only  put  up  eiglit  hundred  barrels  of 
salmon.  This  year,  although  the  season  is  not  ended,  they  have  put  up  and  prepared 
for  the  Atlantic  market  about  one  thousand  barrels  of  salmon.  Baronovitch,  at  Cassan, 
last  year,  with  the  aid  of  only  four  men,  put  up,  in  splendid  order,  seven  hundred  bar- 
rels of  salmon,  and  had  to  cease  the  catch  ere  the  season  was  half  over,  he  having  no 
more  barrels  to  fill.  On  the  7th  of  August,  last  year,  the  Sagiuaw,  Captain  Mitchell, 
called  at  this  place.  Baronovitch  had  ceased  work  some  three  weeks  before,  but  at 
Mitchell's  request  he  took  his  two  boats  and  seines  to  catch  a  supply  for  the  ship,  and 
in  fifteen  minutes  returned  with  them  loaded  to  the  guards  with  beautiful  salmon. 

He  felt  confident  that  had  iiis  barrels  not  failed  ho  could  have  packed  seven  hundred 
more. 

A  new  method  of  putting  up  salmon  has  recently  been  experimented  on  by  the  Co- 
lumbia River  fishermen,  and  this  year  we  understand  they  are  putting  up  great  quan- 
tities of  them  in  cans,  the  same  as  oysters,  lobsters,  &c. 

This  course  might  be  pursued  here  with  great  advantage,  and  the  facilities  for  its 
successful  prosecution  are  abundant.  We  hope  some  of  our  citizens  will  engage  in  it 
another  season.  Fish  are  plenty,  labor  is  iibundant  and  cheap,  transportation  below  is 
low,  and  the  price  of  fish  remunerative.  It  will  help  the  prosperity  of  the  town,  give 
work  to  our  needy  Russian  population,  and  will  give  still  more  character  to  the  worth 
of  the  Territory. 

There  are  besides  a  hundred  other  fisheries  of  salmon,  where,  added  to  splendid  loca- 
tions for  buildings,  are-  good  anchorages  for  vessels.  Hundreds  of  fresh-water  rivers 
come  leaping  down  the  mountains  into  the  sea,  and  into  these  in  the  summer  the  salmon 
rim,  and  so  thickly,  that  often  they  blacken  the  water.  Let  us  make  known  these  facts 
to  the  world,  for  once  known  and  believed,  capital  will  surely  seek  an  investment  and 
acquire  in  this  honest  pursuit  the  reward  it  merits. 

Again,  the  halibut  fishing  is  immense.  Westward  from  Sitka  to  Kadiak,  Kenai,  and 
even  to  the  Peninsula  of  Alaska,  these  fish  abound,  and  they  are  immense.  Every  per- 
son who  comes  down  from  the  coast  speaks  of  this  fishing.  As  yet  there  are  none  that 
we  know  of  engaged  in  this  pursuit,  but  if  there  be  a  way  of  preserving  these  fish  for 
the  San  Francisco  market,  an  enterprise  of  that  kind  must  prove  a  success.  The  ex- 
perience of  our  own  people  prove  that,  with  ordinary  precaution,  all  work  of  drying  or 
pickling  can  be  done  as  well  on  the  adjacent  islands  as  further  below. 

But  the  cod  fisheries  of  Alaska  are  of  the  most  moment  and  importance  to  us  as  a  peo- 
ple and  a  nation. 

It  is  a  fact  well  known  that  for  years  the  cod  fisheries  of  the  Atlaiftic  coast  have 
been  failing,  until  now  that  branch  of  industry  is  merely  nominal.  More  than  one- 
half  of  the  great  fleet  of  vessels  formerly  engaged  in  it  are  now  lyingidle  in  the  harbors 
of  Boston,  Salem,  Lynn,  Newburyport,  and  Marblehead,  or  they  have  gone  into  the  busi- 
ness of  carriers.  There  is  to-day  a  hardy  population  of  fishermen  who  are  cast  adrift 
upon  the  world,  earning  a  livelihood  in  ways  illy  suited  to  them,  and  all  because 
Othello's  occupation  is  gone.  The  vessels  have  proved,  and  are  proving,  a  ruinous  in- 
vestment to  their  owrners,  not  earning  enough  to  pay  a  reasonable  interest  on  their 
cost.  Again,  this  industry  has  been  invaluable  to  Massachusetts.  It  was  one  of  her 
great  sources  of  wealth,  and  it  built  up  nearly  all  her  seaport  towns.  Lately  the 
question  of  procuring  some  treaty  stipulations  with  Great  Britain  has  been  urgently 
pressed  by  those  immediately  interested  whereby  the  United  States  can  have  the  right 
of  fishing  for  cod  on  the  coast  of  Labrador,  and  it  is  confidently  expected  by  many  that 
this  right  will  be  soon  secured. 

But  why  obligate  ourselves  to  a  foreign  nation  to  secure  that  which  we  already  have 
at  home  ?  As  fine  cod  fishing  banks  as  exist  in  the  known  world  lie  all  along  the  coast 
of  Alaska,  from  the  Peninsula  of  Unalaska  through  Norton's  and  Kotzebue's  sounds 
into  Behring  Strait.  Oue  great  difficulty  which  always  existed  on  the  Newfound- 
land banks  is  the  great  depth  of  water,  which  ranges  from  seventy  to  ninety  fathoms. 
The  banks  along  our  coast  only  average  from  thirty  to  fifty  fathoms.  The  fish,  too,  are 
of  equally  as  fine  a  quality,  and  of  good  size. 

There  are,  we  believe,  this  season  some  or  twelve  vessels,  formerly  Cape  Ann  fisher- 
men, which  have  been  brought  around  the  Horn,  engaged  in  the  cod  fisheries  along 
the  coast  of  Alaska.  We  know  they  will  do  well.  Recently  one  little  vessel  has  ar- 
rived at  Port  Towusend  from  the  East.  There  is  no  reason  why  the  idle  fleets  on  the 


REPORT   OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN    AFFAIRS.         133 

eastern  coast  cannot  be  profitably  employed  on  this  coast.  They  are  generally  calcu- 
lated for  a  freight  capacity  of  one  hundred  to  two  hundred  tons,  and  can  easily  load 
with  freight  at  Boston  or  New  York  for  San  Francisco,  and  thus  earn  enough  to  pay 
running  expenses  ;  starting  in'  the  summer  or  early  autumn  they  can  reach  San  Fran- 
cisco in  season  to  procure  an  outfit,  and  proceed  on  their  cruise  by  March  or  April.  It 
is  only  changing  the  base  of  operation.  Instead  of  the  East  supplying  the  West,  it 
will  be  vice  versa.  The  price  of  fish  shipped  by  steamers  will  be  but  nominally  increased, 
while  we  shall,  as  a  people,  have  the  satisfaction  of  being  independent  of  all  foreign 
powers  for  a  supply  of  one  of  the  great  staples  of  food. 

We  trust  that  the  eastern  fishermen  will  make  up  to  the  importance  of  the  industry 
and  exhibit  that  energy  which  has  always  characterized  New  England,  by  sending  out 
to  Alaska  a  fleet  of  vessels  to  engage  in  this  certainly  lucrative  business. '  The  market 
is  the  world.  We  are  on  the  highway  of  the  Eastern  aud  Western  hemispheres.  Not 
only  is  the  United  States  to  be  supplied,  but  China  and  Japan,  with  their  millions  of 
people,  stand  ready  to  buy. 

All  hail,  then,  to  the  speedy  inception  of  this  enterprise.  Then  will  not  only  Alaska 
prosper,  and  the  country  in  general  be  benefited,  but  we  shall  feel  proud  that  we  are 
so  opulent  in  our  own  resources  of  strength,  and  have  on  the  Pacific  coast,  as  well  as 
on  the  Atlantic,  a  brave  set  of  men  ready  to  man  our  naval  fleets  in  case  hereafter 
there  be  another  insurrection  or  a  foreign  war. 


APPENDIX  H. 

ACT   OF   CONGRESS   REGULATING   THE   INTRODUCTION   OF   LIQUOR,    FIRE-ARMS,   &C.,   INTO 

ALASKA. 

The  law  governing  the  sale  of  spirituous  liquors  is  as  follows : 

"  SEC.  4.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  the  President  shall  have  power  to  restrict  and 
regulate  or  to  prohibit  the  importation  and  use  of  fire-arms,  ammunition,  and  distilled 
spirits  into  aud  withiu  the  said  Territory.  And  the  exportation  of  the  same  from  any 
other  port  or  place  in  the  United  States  when  destined  to  any  port  or  place  in  said 
Territory,  and  all  such  arms,  ammunition,  and  distilled  spirits  exported,  or  attempted 
to  be  exported,  from  any  port  or  place  in  the  United  States  and  destined  for  such  Ter- 
ritory, in  violation  of  any  regulations  that  may  be  prescribed  under  this  section ;  and 
all  such  arms,  ammunition,  and  distilled  spirits  landed  or  attempted  to  be  landed  or 
used  at  any  port  or  place  in  said  Territory,  in  violation  of  said  regulation,  shall  be  for- 
feited ;  and  if  the  value  of  the  same  shall  exceed  four  hundred  dollars  the  vessel  upon 
which  the  same  shall  be  found,  or  from  which  they  shall  have  been  landed,  together 
with  her  tackle,  apparel,  and  furniture,  and  cargo,  shall  be  forfeited ;  and  any  such 
person  willfully  violating  such  regulation  shall,  on  conviction,  be  fined  in  any  sum  not 
exceeding  five  hundred  dollars,  or  imprisoned  not  more  than  six  months.  And  bonds 
may  be  required  for  a  faithful  observance  of  such  regulations  from  the  master  or  own- 
ers of  any  vessel  departing  from  any  port  in  the  United  States  having  on  board  fire- 
arms, ammunition,  or  distilled  spirits,  when  such  vessel  is  destined  to  any  place  in 
said  Territory,  or  if  not  so  destined,  when  there  shall  be  reasonable  ground  of  suspicion 
that  such  articles  are  intended  to  be  lauded  herein  in  violation  of  law ;  and  similar 
bonds  may  be  required  on  the  lauding  of  any  such  articles  in  the  said  Territory  from 
the  person  to  whom  the  same  may  be  consigned." 


APPENDIX  HI. 

LIQUOR  AT  GOVERNMENT  POSTS. 

A  writer  in  the  Washington  Morning  Chronicle,  of  February  6,  says : 
"  Fifteen  miles  from  Simpson  is  the  federal  Fort  Tongas,  situated  on  Portland  Inlet, 
the  dividing  water  between  British  America  and  our  own  Territory,  the  latter  consti- 
tuting the  most  southern  portion  of  Alaska.  At  Tongas  are  stationed  a  company  of 
troops,  who  have  already  had  several  quarrels  with  the  Indians.  The  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  have  never  had  a  soldier  at  one  of  their  posts,  and  up  to  a  very  late  date 
have  had  no  trouble  with  the  Indians.  Mr.  Cunningham  says  he  has  had  considerable 
difficulty  with  some  of  the  Indians  since  the  erection  of  Fort  Tougas,  on  account  of  their 
procuring  liquor  from  the  United  States  troops.  From  Fort  Tongas  to  Fort  Wraugel 
it  is  seventy  miles.  Wrangel  is  also  garrisoned  by  a  company  of  troops,  who  have  had 
serious  difficulties  with  the  Indians  upon  several  occasions.  It  is  situated  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Stikiue  River." 


134          KEPOKT   OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

APPENDIX  I. 

Summary  of  winds  and  weather  from  January  I,  1868,  to  August  31,  1869,  at  Sitka,  Alaska' 

Ten-itory. 


Months. 

"Warmest  days. 

Coldest  days. 

Amount  of 
rain. 

Number  days 
cloudy. 

Number  days 
fair. 

Number  days 
rain. 

Number  days 
snow. 

1868. 
January  

36 
50 

45 
51 

58 
60 
62 
58 
57 
58 
52 
48 

47 
43 

48 
48 
58 
56 
57 
56 

46 
51 
53 
60 
64 
71 
68 
61 
60 
59 
52 
53 

41 
47 
53 
56 
70 
69 
69 
68 

39 

45 
49 
44 
48 
59 
57 
61 
60 
59 
48 
47 

51 

59 
45 
51 
54 
55 
61 
57 

14 
11 
32 
32 
35 
50 
52 
52 
38 
38 
25 
20 

29 
24 
29 
39 
41 
47 
48 
52 

30 
28 
35 
49 
41 
54 
54 
51 
57 
42 
31 
34 

32 
40 
37 
38 
49 
50 
53 
57 

17 
12 
32 
36 

36 
49 
50 
52 
46 
36 
26 
22 

37 
25 
41 
36 
40 
45 
49 
50 

7.00 
4.35 
5.72 
1.37 
7.55 
1.93 
4.20 
4.01 
6.81 
7.27 
9.38 
6.69 

10.14 
14.80 
6.30 
8.99 
6.87 
4.99 
3.20 
3.84 

12.33 
20.00 
26.  33 
21.33 
22.00 
18.33 
28.  00 
24.33 
20.00 
27.66 
25.00 
20.00 

18.66 
9.00 
4.66 
8.66 
9.00 
11.66 
3.00 
6.66 
10.00 
3.33 
5.00 
11.00 

3 

12 
5 
3 

12 
4 
10 
9 
11 
14 
16 
10 

3 

0 
4 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 

February    . 

March  

Mav 

June  

July  

August  

September  

October 

November 

December..  . 

1869. 
January  

275.31 

100.63 

109 

7 

28.66 
24.33 
21.66 
24.33 
25.66 
24.33 
24.66 
22.33 

2.33 

3.66 
9.33 
5.66 
5.33 
5.66 
6.33 
8.66 

10 
13 

6 
8 
6 
7 
5 
6 

1 

3 
0 
1 
0 
0 
0 
0 

February 

March    

April  

Mav  -  .  . 

June  

July  

August 

APPENDIX  L. 
General  Davis's  account  of  the  Kdkc  war. 

The  following  is  General  Davis's  account  of  the  same  affair.  He  says  in  his  report 
of  the  5th  of  January  last : 

"  The  Indians  within  the  la.st  few  days  have  exhibited  some  signs  of  growing  trou- 
ble, but  I  think  I  have  succeeded  in  checkmating  them  in  their  designs,  at  least  for 
the  present.  The  principal  chief  of  the  Chilkahts  has  been  here  for  some  weeks  with  a 
party  on  a  trading  visit.  He  is  a  very  haughty  and  imperious  man,  and  has  been  ac- 
customed to  having  things  his  own  way  heretofore,  wherever  he  went,  both  among 
the  whites  and  Indians.  This  is  his  second  visit  here,  during  both  of  Avhich  he  has 
been  treated  with  kindness  and  consideration ;  but  this  kiud  of  treatment  he  seems  to 
have  evidently  misconstrued  into  fear  or  timidity  on  our  part,  and  became  more  imper- 
tinent from  day  to  day,  until  New  Year's  day,  when  he  and  a  minor  chief  undertook  to 
disarm  the  sentinel  at  the  main  entrance  into  the  Indian  village.  I  ordered  the  guard, 
under  an  officer,  to  follow  him  into  the  village  and  arrest  him  and  his  party.  He  re- 
sisted by  opening  a  fire  upon  the  guard.  The  guard  returned  it,  but  finding  the  In- 
dians too  strong  for  them  retreated  back  into  the  garrison.  As  the  chief  himself  was 
reported  probably  killed  in  the  melee,  and  the  whole  tribe  of  Sitkas,  among  whom  ho 
was  staying,  was  thrown  'into  a  great  state  of  excitement,  I  thought  it  prudent  to 
order  a  strong  guard  out  for  the  night,  and  to  take  no  further  action  until  morning,  as 
the  night  was  very  dark,  thus  giving  them  time  to  reflect. 

"  I  called  the  principal  Sitka  chiefs  together  and  they  disclaimed  any  participation 
in  the  affair,  and  said  they  did  not  desire  to  fight  either  the  troops  or  the  Chilkahts,  and 
that  they  had  already  hoisted  white  flags  over  their  cabins.  I  then  demanded  the  sur- 
render of  the  Chilkaht  chief,  who,  after  considerable  delay  and  some  show  of  light  on 
the  part  of  about  fifty  of  his  warriors,  came  in  and  gave  himself  up.  A  few  minutes' 
talk  with  him  sufficed  to  convince  me  that  he  was  bent  on  war,  and  I  would  have  had 
to  fight  but  for  the  Sitka's  refusing  to  join  in  his  design.  1  confined  him  and  his  princi- 
pal confederates  in  the  guard-house,  where  he  still  remaius.  Cholckeka  is  known  as 
the  most  powerful  and  vindictive  chief  oil  this  coast.  Knowing  his  history  and  power, 
I  have  watched  and  treated  him  accordingly.  No  one  tribe  of  the  Indians  in  Alaska 
Ctin  endanger  the  safety  of  the  troops  or  the  citizens  here ;  united,  pf  course  it  would  be 
different,  but  we  must  look  out  and  present,  if  possible,  such  a  union  of  tribes.  There 


REPORT   OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS.          135 

were  two  Indians  killed  in  this  affair ;  one  soldier  was  very  severely  wounded,  but  will 
recover.  The  steamer  Sagiuaw  arrived  in  due  time  here  and  rendered  all  the  assistance 
which  I  desired.  The  revenue  cutter  Reliance  (which  is  commanded  by  Captain  Hen- 
riques)  was  lying  out  in  the  harbor  at  the  time ;  he  and  his  officers  were  very  prompt 
and  efficient  in  giving  assistance. 

"  Thinking  the  general  commanding  would  like  to  learn  all  the  particulars  of  this 
our  first  difficulty  with  the  Indians  in  this  department,  I  have  gone  more  into  details 
than  would  otherwise  seem  necessary. 

"JEFF.  C.  DAVIS,  Commander:' 


APPENDIX  M. 
Letter  from  William  S.  Dodge,  ex-mayor  of  Sitka,  on  affairs  in  Alaska  generally. 

ON  BOARD  UNITED  STATES  STEAMER  NEWBERN, 

November  10,  1869. 

SIR:  Your  communication  of  the  1st  ultimo,  making  certain  inquiries  of  me,  was  duly 
received,  and  I  will  now  answer  them  in  detail,  so  far  as  I  am  able,  either  from  per- 
sonal knowledge  or  from  information  deemed  by  me  reliable,  received  from  others. 

1.  "'What  is  the  number  of  Indians  in  Alaska,  as  far  I  know  ?" 

Personally,  I  know  nothing  as  to  number  with  certainty.  Prince  D.  Metrooskoff  in- 
formed me,  when  I  first  came  to  Alaska,  that  their  records,  compiled  from  time  to  time, 
place  the  Indian  population  proper  at  about  fifteen  thousand,  covering  the  territory 
from  Portland  Canal  on  the  south  to  Mt.  St.  Elias  on  the  north,  and  embracing  all  the 
Indians  on  the  islands  and  the  coast  of  the  main  land,  as  well  as  the  upper  tribes  of  the 
Stachines,  Chilkaht,  and  Tarken  within  the  borders  of  Alaska.  From  Mt.  St.  Elias  west- 
ward along  the  coast  to  Kollzertra  and  Norton  Sound,  and  thence  up  to  the  Polar  Ocean. 
The  Russian  American  Company  consider  the  people  as  Esquimaux,  with,  of  course, 
various  tribal  differences.  These  people  are  considered  very  numerous,  being  estimated, 
upon  statistics  gathered  as  a  basis,  at  from  fifty  to  sixty  thousand. 

The  islanders  are  considered  as  a  distinct  race  of  people,  purely  Mongolian  in  origin, 
and  are  denominated  Aleutians.  These  people,  including  the  Creole  element,  have  been 
determined  by  actual  census  to  be  between  seven  and  eight  thousand.  All  these  people 
were  considered  by  the  Russian  government  as  civilized,  they  being  for  the  greater  part 
members  of  the  Greek  church,  living  like  civilized  people,  and  all,  or  nearly  all,  being 
able  to  read  and  write  the  Russian  language. 

Of  this  latter  statement  I  have  the  truth,  personally  having  seen  more  than  two 
hundred  of  them  in  my  official  capacity  write,  and  with  a  remarkable  degree  of  nicety 
in  penmanship.  These  distinctions  are  not  recognized  by  the  military  authorities  in 
the  department  of  Alaska  without  distinction.  I  do  not  coincide  with  this  opinion,  and 
deem  it  unjust  as  well  as  unsound. 

As  to  the  "tribal  names,"  your  second  inquiry,  I  know  very  few,  and  will  not  trouble 
you  with  a  repetition  of  names  which  I  know  you  now  possess. 

3.  Their  general  character  ? 

I  can  speak  generally  from  actual  observation ;  and,  in  brief,  none  of  the  tribes  in 
that  section  of  the  country,  which  I  consider  Indian,  are  at  all  to  be  compared  with 
any  of  the  tribes  inhabiting  the  interior  of  our  country,  or  even  with  those  bordering 
the  great  lakes.  One  peculiar  characteristic  of  the  Alaska  tribes,  such  as  the  Hydahs, 
Stikiues,  Sticks,  Kakes,  Kootznov,  and  Sitkas,  is  their  individual  intelligent  inde- 
pendence. It  is  true  they  live  to  a  great  extent  on  fish  and  game,  but  these  are  to  their 
taste,  the  crops  of  grain  and  corn,  &c.,  to  the  former.  For  half  a  century  educated  into 
traders  by  the  Russian  American  and  Hudson's  Bay  Companies,  as  well  as  by  small 
traders,  who  trade.contraband,  they  have  become  keen,  sharp-witted,  and  drive  as  hard 
and  close  a  bargain  as  their  white  brothers,  and  since  the  federal  occupation  of  tho 
country  this  fact  is  more  apparent. 

They  arc  of  a  very  superior  intelligence,  and  have  rapidly  acquired  many  of  the 
American  ways  of  living  and  working.  Their  houses  are  universally  clustered  into 
villages  very  thoroughly  and  neatly  built,  and  far  more  substantial  and  pretentious 
than  the  log-houses  usually  constructed  by  our  manly  backwoodsmen.  The  Coast 
Indians  do  not  themselves,  and  out  of  their  own  local  resources,  furnish  much  commer- 
cially. The  Sitkas  supply  Sitka  with  its  game,  beets,  and  radishes.  They,  as  well  as 
the  other  coast  tribes,  kill  a  goodly  number  of  the  hair-seal,  selling  to  the  white  traders 
the  peltries  and  the  oil  which  they  extract  from  them.  But  as  a  rule  they  stand  as  tho 
immediate  agents  between  the  white  traders  and  the  interior  Indians,  and  in  this 
exhibit  a  jealousy  worthy  the  Jews.  Many  purchase  from  the  whites  hard  bread,  rice 
shoes,  blankets,  &.<;.,  and  take  these  together  with  salmon,  which  they  cure  themselves 
up  the  various  rivers  to  the  interior  tribes,  with  whom  they  in  turn  trade  for  mink  , 


136  REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

martin,  lynx,  fox,  bear,  and  other  skins.  Returning  to  the  whites,  these  Indians  again 
exchange  for  articles  of  traffic. 

They  never  allow  the  upper  country  Indians  to  come  to  the  white  settlements  to  trade 
with  the  Chilkahts  and  Tarkens;  death  would  follow  the  attempt.  Hence  is  evinced  a 
monopoly  powerful  and  extensive  in  character.  Nor  will  the  Coast  Indians  permit  any 
white  man  to  pass  to  the  upper  country  to  trade  the  peualty  they  threaten  is  the  same. 
All  trade  must  be  made  with  and  through  them. 

As  to  the  next  inquiry,  "  What  means  have  been  undertaken,  if  any,  by  the  military 
or  other  United  States  authority  for  their  improvement  ?"  I  need  say  but  little.  No  sys- 
tem has  as  yet  been  adopted  by  any  of  the  United  States  authorities  tending  to  the 
improvement  of  the  Indian  tribes. 

General  J.  C.  Davis  has  frequently,  in  intercourse  with  the  Indians,  explained  to  the 
chiefs  the  American  ideas  of  justice  and  right,  and  how  practically  they  are  carried 
out,  calling  their  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  good  would  be  protected,  and  the  wrong- 
doer punished,  exemplifying  the  teaching  by  illustrating  it  in  this  way :  When  a  soldier 
does  wrong  they  would  know  it,  as  he  was  worked  on  the  roads  and  guarded  by  another 
soldier  with  a  bayonet  on  his  gun.  If  a  Russian  did  wrong  they  would  see  ho  was  put 
in  prison.  If  an  Indian  did  wrong  he  would  be  punished  the  same. 

The  Indians  for  a  time  observed  this,  and  often  said  the  "Boston  man"  was  just,  for 
everybody  fared  alike. 

One  day  a  soldier,  Russian,  and  Indian,  all  in  prison  together;  no  favor  shown; 
white  man  treated  same  as  Indian.  This  teaching,  faithfully  carried  out,  could  not 
but  have  had  a  beneficial  effect,  and  for  a  time  it  did.  But,  unfortunately,  an  event 
occiirred  on  last  New  Year's  day  which  somewhat  shook  their  faith.  The  military  au- 
thorities, following  in  the  footsteps  of  the  Russian  American  Company,  have,  from  time 
to  time  continued  to  instill  into  their  minds  a  love  for  labor  and  general  usefulness, 
and  have  encouraged  them  in  it  by  giving  them  contracts  for  wood,  &c. 

General  Davis  did  much  at  one  time  to  induce  the  Sitkas  to  abandon  their  custom 
of  killing  a  slave  to  supply  the  wants  of  a  departed  chief,  an  occasion  of  that  kind 
having  arisen.  I  believe  his  influence  was  sufficient  to  save  the  victim,  although  it 
was  done  by  freeing  the  condemned  slave  and  bringing  him  into  the  town.  We  have 
always  understood  that  no  other  was  killed  in  his  stead. 

Beyond  this,  and  a  few  other  similar  examples  and  counsels,  nothing  has  been  done 
to  ameliorate  or  better  their  condition  up  to  the  present  time.  The  example  set  by 
the  navy  has  never  been  favorable,  but  generally  unfavorable  ;  especially  during  the 
cruise  of  the  Saginaw,  under  a  commander  now  dead,  positively  demoralizing. 

The  custom  authorities  never  exercised  any  influence,  either  for  good  or  bad. 

To  your  last  and  most  important  question :  "  What  causes  are  operating  at  the  pres- 
ent time,  or  may  have  been  used  in  the  past,  to  demoralize  them  ?"  much  may  be  said. 

As  a  citizen  of  Alaska,  I  feel  a  delicacy  in  writing  upon  this  subject,  inasmuch  as  it 
compels  me  to  tread  upon  unwelcome  ground,  and  may  be  characterized  as  the  prompt- 
ings of  hatred,  jealousy,  and  strife.  However,  as  in  this  question  lies  the  weal  or  woe, 
not  only  of  the  Indian,  but  the  white  race  within  this  Territory,  I  shall  express  clearly, 
impartially,  and  frankly  my  views  of  the  whole  subject  in  all  its  bearings  as  they  have 
been  presented  to  me  by  observation  and  reflection.  And  here  I  am  compelled  to  say 
that  the  conduct  of  certain  military  and  naval  officers  and  soldiers  has  been  bad  and 
demoralizing  in  the  extreme ;  not  only  contaminating  the  Indians,  but  in  fact  demor- 
alizing and  making  the  inhabitants  of  Sitka  what  Dante  characterized  Italy:  "A 
grand  house  of  ill-fame."  I  speak  only  of  things  as  seen  and  felt  at  Sitka. 

First.  The  demoralizing  influence  originated  in  the  fact  that  the  garrison  was  loca- 
ted in  the  heart  of  the  town. 

Secondly.  The  great  mass  of  the  soldiers  were  either  desperate  or  very  immoral  men. 

Thirdly.  Some  of  the  officers  did»not  carry  out  military  discipline  in  that  just  way 
which  the  regulations  contemplate.  They  gave  too  great  license  to  bad  men  ;  and  the 
deepest  evil  to  all,  and  out  of  which  other  great  evils  resulted,  was  an  indiscriminate 
pass  system  at  night.  Many  has  been  the  night  when  soldiers  have  taken  possession 
of  a  Russian  house,  and  frightened  and  browbeaten  the  women  into  compliance  with 
their  lustful  passions. 

Many  is  the  night  I  have  been  called  upon  after  midnight,  by  men  and  women,  Rus- 
sian and  Aleutian,  in  their  night-clothes,  to  protect  them  against  the  malice  of  the 
soldiers.  In  instances  where  the  guilty  party  could  be  recognized  they  have  been 
punished;  but  generally  they  are  not  recognized,  and  therefore  escape  punishment. 

Fourthly.  The  conduct  of  some  of  the  officers  has  been  so  demoralizing  that  it  was 
next  to  impossible  to  keep  discipline  among  the  soldiers.  Within  six  months  after 
the  arrival  of  the  troops  at  Sitka,  the  medical  director  informed  me  that  nearly  the 
whole  of  the  Sitka  tribe,  some  twelve  hundred  in  number,  were  suffering  from  vene- 
rial  diseases.  Many  have  died. 

This  has  engendered  a  very  deep  feeling  among  the  Indians  here,  but  the  extent  of 
it  is  only  known  to  those  traders  with  whom  they  can  converse.  Officers  have  carried 


REPORT   OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS.          137 

on  with  the  same  high  hand  among  the  Russian  people,  and  were  the  testimony  of  citi- 
zeus  to  be  taken,  many  instances  of  real  infamy  and  wrongs  would  come  to  light. 

For  a  long  time  some  of  the  officers  drank  immoderately  of  liquor,  and  it  is  telling 
the  simple  truth  when  I  say  that  one  or  two  of  them  have  been  drunk  for  a  week  at  a 
time.  The  soldiers  saw  this,  the  Indians  saw  it ;  and  as  "  Ayas  Tyhus"  or  "  big  chiefs," 
as  they  called  the  officers,  drank,  they  thought  that  they  too  must  get  intoxicated. 
Then  came  the  distrust  of  American  justice  when  they  fonnd  themselves  in  the  guard- 
house, but  never  saw  the  officers  in  when  in  a  like  condition. 

ORIGIN   OF  THE   KAKK   WAR. 

The  Kake  war  arose  out  of  a  pure  case  of  drunkenness.    A  soldier  was  on  guard ;  the 

chief  passed  out;  the  soldier  kicked  him  as  he  passed  out.    That  soldier's  name  is . 

A  little  Russian  girl  told  me  she  saw  the  soldier  kick  the  Indian.  He  was  a  Chilkaht 
chief,  and  it  being  New  Year's  day,  he  had  been  to  General  Davis's  house  and  "potlutched  " 
(treated)  to  a  bottle  of  whiskey.  He  naturally  felt  insulted  at  a  kick,  and  resented  it  by 
seizing  the  soldier's  gun.  Trouble  ensued.  Orders  were  given  to  prevent  the  escape 
of  all  Indians  from  the  village,  and  a  demand  was  made  for  the  surrender  of  the  chief. 

They  declared  for  war,  but  the  general  did  not  wish  this,  and  used  commendable 
moderation.  During  the  next  day  after,  a  parley ;  the  chief,  together  with  an  In- 
diau  named  Sitka  Jack,  surrendered.  General  Davis  then  issued  an  order  counter- 
manding the  previous  one  of  ne  exeat.  The  post  commandant,  who  was  drunk,  either 
did  not  promulgate  the  order  or  afterward  reissued  the  first  order  on  his  own  respon- 
sibility, I  know  not  which.  Lieutenant  C.  P.  Eagen,  of  the  Ninth  Infantry,  was  that 
day  officer  of  the  guard,  and  can  tell  exactly  which  occurred.  I  think  the  latter  is  the 
truth.  At  all  events,  the  next  morning,  a  canoe  with  some  Indians  started  to  leave 
the  village  to  go  wood-chopping,  and  the  sentry  on  the  wharf  killed  two  of  them. 

They  had  not  been  informed  that  they  could  not  leave  the  .village.  The  order  re- 
voking the  ne  exeat  had  been  communicated  by  General  Davis  to  Captain  Mead,  of 
the  United  States  naval  steamer  Saginaw,  jjnd  Captain  Henrique,  of  the  United  States 
revenue  cutter  Reliance  ;  so  they  paid  no  attention  to  the  Indians  until  they  saw  the" 
firing  by  the  sentry.  Thinking  the  same  new  trouble  had  arisen,  they  made  chase  for 
the  canoe.  Afterward  the  (Kakes)  Indians  killed  two  white  men  in  retaliation  for 
the  murder  of  the  two  ;  hence  the  war  with  them. 

I  do  not  know  if  the  military  reports  of  General  Davis  detailed  these  facts  as  I  have 
stated  them,  but  I  do  know  that  the  officer  through  whose  culpable  action  two  white 
men  met  their  death  was  never  punished.  He  boasts  "  that  there  is  not  power  enough 
to  dismiss  him  from  the  army,  let  him  do  as  he  likes."  This  is  all  wrong,  and  such 
conduct  is  not  calculated  to  ennoble  any  one,  whether  white  or  Indian. 

It  is  but  justice  to  say,  however,  for  the  last  four  months,  to  my  knowledge,  the  con- 
duct of  officers  has  greatly  improved  in  this  respect.  New  officers  have,  to  a  great  ex- 
tent, supplied  the  places  of  the  old,  and  others,  stinging  under  the  smarting  sensation 
caused  by  articles  which  have  appeared  in  print,  have  reformed,  at  least  outwardly. 

It  is  clearly  of  my  opinion  that  troops  in  Alaska  are  to  a  great  extent  needless.  At 
Sitka  they  should  be  stationed  at  Japauica  Island,  away  from  the  town  and  the  Indian 
villages.  At  Kadiak  and  Kenai  there  is  no  earthly  use  for  them.  At  Tongas  and 
Wrangle  the  causes  of  evil  are  at  work. 

It  seems  to  me  if  troops  are  needed  anywhere  they  should  be  near  Sitka,  and  per- 
ha  psnearChilkaht  or  Youkon  ;  but  with  two  good  efficient  gunboats  carrying  out  the 
policy  of  British  Columbia,  punishing  summarily  and  justly  any  outrage  committed 
by  the  Indians,  the  Territory  would  be  far  better  off,  and  the  country,  as  a  whole, 
advanced  in  prosperity.  These  vessels,  too,  could  serve  a  double  purpose  as  well,  sur- 
veying our  island  channels,  bays,  and  harbors ;  thus  would  be  accomplished  a  two-fold 
object,  the  preserving  of  peace  and  promotion  of  science. 

So  far  as  I  know  the  Indians  have  a  keen  sense  of  justice,  and  they  approve  all  their 
actions  by  the  rude  code  which  exists  among  them.     Let  the  policy  of  the  government 
be  such  as  to  insure  this,  and  trouble  will  be  seldom  indeed. 
Very  respectfully, 

WILLIAM  S.  DODGE, 

Late  Mayor  of.  Sitka. 
"n.  VINCENT  COLYER. 

APPENDIX  N. 

rom  Thomas  Hurphy  on  citizenship  for  the  Indians. 

KADIAK,  ALASKA  TERRITORY, 

DEAR  SIR  :  September  27,  1869. 

mown  as  half-Uast  Thursday  I  made  nine  citizens  in  this  town  of  men  who 
\  or,  as  we  call  them,  "  Creoles,"  and  immediately  the  news 


138          EEPOET    OF    THE    COMMISSION   ON   INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

spread  all  over  the  town,  and  it  was  not  long  before  a  large  number  came  after  me  to 
make  American  citizens  of  them  also,  and  among  the  number  of  applicants  was  an  In- 
dian chief  who  lives  about  one  and  one-half  miles  below  this  place.  He  told  me 
he  had  got  some  considerable  property  well  improved;  and  he  also  told  me  he  wanted 
to  be  made  a  citizen,  because  he  said  he  was  afraid  that  if  he  was  not  a  citizen,  other 
parties  would  come  and  jump  his  ground.  I  infomed  him  that  as  the  law  was  now  he  could 
not  become  a  citizen,  and  tried  to  convince  him  that  there  would  be  no  danger  of  any 
one  interfering  with  his  "property.  This  he  seemed  to  be  very  doubtful  about. 

I  am  told  by  those  who  know  this  chief  in  question,  that  he  is  quite  intelligent,  is  :i 
Christian,  as  is  the  case  with  all  Indians  up  as  far  as  Atou  Island,  which  is  the  most 
western  island  in  Alaska.  This  Indian  keeps  his  house  as  clean  as  any  poor  man's 
house  you  can  find  even  in  your  own  State.  True,  their  stock  of  furniture  is  but  limited ; 
still  it  suits  their  immediate  wants,  and  if  he  were  to  be  made  an  American,  he 
would  be  the  proudest  man  in  the  country.  I  was  sorry  I  could  not  gratify  the  poor 
man ;  but  if  I  had  my  say  on  the  subject,  I  would  make  him  a  citizen  by  all  means,  for 
I  am  satisfied  he  would  be  no  disgrace  to  any  American. 

This  is  only  one  case  out  of  thousands  we  have  got  here  in  Alaska,  and  no  doubt 
you  will  bear  me  out  in  what  I  state,  as  it  is  the  truth. 
I  have  the  honor  to  remain,  vours,  respectfully, 

THOS.  G.  MURPHY, 

Editor  of  the  Alaska  Times. 

Mr.  VINCENT  COLYER. 


APPENDIX  O. 
Hon.  William  S.  Dodge  on  citizenship. 

Of  the  Aleutian  islanders  and  their  prospective  rights  under  our  government,  Mr. 
Dodge  says :  There  are,  as  statistics  from  the  Russian  records  fully  show,  seven  thousand 
Aleutian  and  three  thousand  creole  population.  But,  say  our  enemies,  "the  Aleutians 
are  Indians,  and  not  entitled  to  citizenship."  Let  us  see: 

The  treaty  of  cession  between  Russia  and  the  United  States  guarantees,  in  article 
third,  that  "  The  inhabitants  of  the  ceded  territory,  according  to  their  choice,  reserving 
their  natural  allegiance,  may  return  to  Russia  within  three  years;  but  if  they  should 
prefer  to  remain  in  the  ceded  territory,  they,  with  the  exception  of  uncivilized  native 
tribes,  shall  be  admitted  to  the  enjoyment  of  all  the  rights,  advantages,  and  immunities 
of  citizens  of  the  United  States,  and  shall  be  maintained  and  protected  in  the  free  enjoy- 
ment of  their  liberty,  property,  and  religion." 

Then  again,  in  the  same  article,  it  says:  "The  uncivilized  tribes  will  be  subject  to 
such  laws  and  regulations  as  the  United  States  may,  from  time  to  time,  adopt  in  regard 
to  aboriginal  tribes  of  that  country." 

Thus,  in  the  treaty,  it  is  clearly  manifested  that  a  distinction  in  government  was  to 
be  made,  and  it  shows  that  the  Russian  government  observed  jealous  care  in  securing 
to  all  but  the  savages  the  rights  of  American  citizenship. 

And  the  distinction  between  the  civilized  and  uncivilized  is  most  positively  indicated 
in  the  "Russian  memorandum  marked  A,  A,"  draughted  by  Mr.  Sewurd  at  his  request  of 
August  6,  1867,  by  the  Russian  minister  of  foreign  affairs  at  St.  -Petersburg,  August  31, 
1867. 

The  Aleutian  population,  who  are  mostly  inhabitants  of  the  islands  of  Alaska,  are  of 
Asiatic  origin.  The  Asiatic  race  is  always  classed  among  the  civilized  nations.  These 
people  reside  in  towns,  and  live  principally  from  the  products  of  the  fur-seal,  sea-otter, 
and  fox.  They  have  a  language  of  their  own,  but  from  long  association  with  the  em- 
ploy6s  of  the  Russian-American  Company,  they  nearly  all  talk  the  Russian  tongue. 
They  have  schools  and  churches  of  their  own.  Nearly  all  of  them  read  and  write. 
Around  their  homes,  in  their  churches  and  schools,  are  seen  many,  if  not  all,  the  con- 
eomitants  of  ordinary  American  homes.  Many  among  them  are  highly  educated,  even/ 
in  the  classics.  The  administrator  of  the  fur  company  often  reposed  great  confident 
in  them/  One  of  their  best  physicians  was  an  Aleutian;  one  of  their  best  navigat/? 
was  an  Aleutian ;  their  best  traders  and  accountants  were  Aleutians.  Will  it 
that  such  a  people  are  to  be  deprived  of  the  rights  of  American  citizenship? 
Bishoj)  of  the  Greco-Russian  church  has  kindly  furnished  me  with  the  iuforma^^  _ 
then  were  in  Alaska,  up  to  January  1,  1869,  12,140  Christians.  During 
1867  '68,  there  were  confirmed  in  the  rites  of  the  church  2,384  men  and  Sj 
mal  ing  a  total  of  4,575.  There  were  also  professors  of  the  Greek  faith^uifo  ]ar,, 
confirmed  82  men  and  23  women.  The  number  of  professing  childrtj 
773  boys  and  716  girls. 


REPORT   OF   THE    COMMISSION   ON   INDIAN   AFFAIRS.         139 

APPENDIX  P. 
Letter  from  Captain  C.  W.  Raymond,  U.  S.  A.,  on  the  Youkon  River  and  tribes, 

.  "  BRIG  COMMODORE, 

Unalaslfa  Harbor,  October  6,  1869. 

DEAR  SIR  :  I  have  just  received  your  letter  of  this  date,  asking  information  concern- 
ing such  of  the  Indian  tribes  of  Alaska  as  have  fallen  under  my  observation. 

I  am  compelled  to  write  wholly  from  memory,  as  my  notes  are  inaccessible,  and  I  feel 
that,  under  the  circumstances,  any  information  which  I  may  be  able  to  give  you  will  be 
very  meager  and  imperfect;  nevertheless,  I  will  attempt  to  answer  your  inquiries. 

With  the  exception  of  the  Kalkurh  Indians  of  Sitka,  and  the  Aleutes  of  Unalaska 
and  the  Seal  Islands,  (tribes  with  whose  customs,  manners,  and  condition  you  are  un- 
doubtedly much  more  conversant  than  myself,)  the  Indians  of  Alaska  who  have  fallen 
under  my  observation  may  be  divided  into  tAvo  classes — the  Indians  of  the  coast  and 
the  Indians  of  the  interior.- 

INDIANS   OF  THE   COAST. 

Of  the  first  of  these  classes,  those  concerning  whom  I  can  speak  from  personal  knowl- 
edge, are  all  situated  between  Behring  Straits  and  the  Upper  Aphrou,  mouth  of  the 
Kvichpak,  or  Youkon  River. 

The  general  name  of  Maleinute  seems  to  be  applied  to  all  the  Indians  on  this  por- 
tion of  the  coast,  but  more  correctly  there  are  several  large  tribes  of  which  the  Male- 
mute  is  one. 

The  principal  tribes  seem  to  be  the  Kaviacks,  the  Malemutes,  the  Unalachlutes,  and 
the  Magamutes. 

The  Kaviacks  inhabit  that  portion  of  the  coast  which  is  situated  between  Behring 
Straits  and  Sound  Galovniu ;  the  Malemutes  are  situated  between  this  sound  and  the 
Unalachlute  River ;  the  Unalachlutes  at  the  mouth  and  along  the  banks  of  the  river  of 
that  name,  and  the  Magamutes  are  found  from  the  Unalachlute  River  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Kvichpak.  These  Indians  are  often  called  after  the  names  of  the  villages  which 
they  inhabit,  but  this  nomenclature  seems  to  be  merely  accidental,  and  has  no  connec- 
tion with  their  condition,  character,  or  habits. 

They  intermingle  with  each  other  to  a  great  extent,  having  been  brought  together,  dur- 
ing many  years,  by  their  trading  interests  at  St.  Michael's,  and  consequently  there  is  a 
great  similarity  in  their  language,  customs,  character,  and  appearance. 

It  is  almost  impossible  to  form  an  estimate  of  the  number  of  their  people,  as  they 
continually  travel  up  and  down  the  coast  and  are  rarely  met  with  in  large  parties. 
A  Russian  trader  of  long  experience  informs  me  that,  in  his  opinion,  they  number  about 
five  thousand.  During  the  winter  these  tribes  live  in  their  villages,  trapping  for  skins 
in  the  vicinity,  and  making  occasional  visits  to  St.  Michael's  for  trading  purposes.  In 
the  summer  they  are  more  scattered,  collecting  stores  of  food  for  winter  use. 

The  Kaviacks  and  Malemutes,  in  their  skin  canoes,  hunt  the  walrus  and  the  hair-seal, 
and  making  then  into  the  villages  between  the  low  Coast  range,  they  kill  the  reindeer 
in  great  numbers. 

The  Unalachluts  during  the  summer  are  engaged  in  fishing  for  the  salmon,  and  the 
Magamntes  seek  the  lower  waters  of  the  Kvichpak  for  the  same  purpose.  This  fish  is 
found  in  these  rivers  in  enormous  quantities. 

Most  of  these  Indians  seem  to  be  vigorous  and  healthy,  and  among  them  are  many  very 
fine  looking  men.  In  these  respects,  the  Kaviacks  and  Malemntes  are  far  superior  to 
the  others,  as  might  be  expected  from  their  more  active  and  hazardous  pursuits.  Never- 
theless, I  found  among  them  many  of  the  diseases  incident  to  reckless  exposure.  Con- 
sumption, colds,  asthma,  and  t;roup,  were  by  no  means  uncommon  ;  of  the  last  named 
disease  great  numbers  of  their  children  die  yearly. 

The  food  of  these  Indians  consists  of  fish,' fresh  and  dried,  reindeer  meat,  walrus,  and 
seal  meat  and  oil.  In  the  summer  they  trade  in  their  bark  and  skin  canoes,  but  in  the 
winter  their  only  means  of  transportation  is  by  their  dogs  and  sleds.  These  dogs  they 
possess  in  great  numbers,  and  the  necessity  of  providing  dried  fish  for  dog  food  forms 
no  small  addition  to  their  summer  labor. 

Their  villages  contain  from  two  or  three  to  a  dozen  families,  and  consist  of  rude,  low 
houses  built  of  logs  and  slabs,  and  covered  with  earth.  The  door  is  simply  a  small 
round  hole,  placed  near  the  ground,  so  that  it  is  impossible  to  enter  except  011  the  hands 
aud  knees.  The  fire  is  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  building,  and  the  smoke  makes  way 
through  a  hole  in  the  roof.  Rude  as  these  houses  are,  they  are  nevertheless  tight  and 
warm,  and  on  more  than  one  occasion,  while  making  my  way  through  this  country,  I 
have  been  glad  enough  to  obtain  their  shelter.  Their  winter  houses  are  completely 
under  ground. 

These  Indians  are  very  unclean  in  their  habits,  but  they  are,  nevertheless,  much  supe- 


140          EEPOET    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

rior  in  this  respect  to  the  Kvichpak  Indians,  of  whom  I  shall  speak  hereafter.  Many 
of  their  habits  are  too  disgusting  even  to  mention.  They  have  no  idea  of  comfort,  few 
artificial  wants,  and  consequently  little  industry. 

Such  a  thing  as  virtue  is  unknown  among  their  women.  They  axe  all  more  or  less 
acquainted  with  the  use  of  intoxicating  liquors,  and  the  northern  tribes  obtain  quan- 
tities of  spirits  from  the  whalers,  and  trade  with  them  along  the  coast ;  but,  as  in  all 
my  experience  I  did  not  observe  a  single  case  of  intoxication,  I  do  not  believe  them 
to  be  intemperate.  Indeed  I  am  often  told  that  they  resold  spirits  to  the  Russians, 
among  whom  the  use  of  intoxicating  liquors  was  carried  to  a  great  extent. 

HOSPITALITY. 

Finally,  these  people  are  kind,  peaceable,  generous,  and  hospitable  without  an  excep- 
tion. Their  guests  can  ask  no  favor  which  they  deem  too  great.  The  warmest  bed, 
the  most  comfortable  corner  by  the  fire,  the  largest  dishs  are  always  for  the  stranger,  be 
he  white  man  or  red.  One  day, /while  my  little  party  was  making  a  portage  from  the 
Auvic  River  to  the  coast,  we  came  upon  a  hut  of  a  Malemnte  Indian  hunter,  who  had 
made  his  camp  in  one  of  the  numerous  villages.  He  was  very  sick  with  the  inflama- 
tory  rheumatism,  and,  with  his  wife,  was  awaiting  the  coming  of  some  of  his  own  peo- 
ple to  remove  him  to  his  own  village.  We  were  wet,  cold,  tired,  and  entirely  out  of 
provisions,  and  had  eaten  nothing  for  a  day.  He  gave  us  all  we  desired  from  his 
stock  of  reindeer  meat,  and  would  have  crawled  from  his  bed  in  order  to  provide  us 
with  skins  to  sleep  upon,  had  we  permitted  it.  When  we  departed  we  offered  to  pay 
him  for  his  meat,  for  we  had  taken  by  far  the  greatest  portion  of  his  store  ;  but  he 
replied:  "No;  this  is  a  present.  To-day  you  are  my  guest,  some  other  time  we  will 
buy  and  sell." 

Other  and  equally  beautiful  instances  of  the  untaught  courtesy  of  these  people  I 
would  willingly  enumerate,  if  time  permitted.  The  Indians  all  wear  skin  clothing  both 
in  summer  and  winter.  The  paxa  is  a  sort  of  long  shirt  of  reindeer  skin,  the  hair  being 
worn  outward  in  dry  weather  and  inward  in  wet.  It  has  a  hood  attached  which  forms 
a  covering  for  the  head,  and  which  is  usually  trimmed  with  the  cacayon  or  wolverine 
skin.  In  the  summer  they  wear  leggins  and  boots  of  reindeer  skin,  with  "  rnoclock,"  and 
are  made  with  so  much  skill  that  they  are  completely  water-tight. 

The  under  lip  is  usually  perforated  under  the  corners  of  the  mouth,  and  through  these 
holes  pieces  of  bone,  or  bits  of  round  stone,  or  metal  are  inserted.  The  women  tattoo 
their  chins  in  vertical  parallel  lines.  These  and  the  wolverine  trimmings  are  the  only 
attempts  at  ornaments  I  noticed  among  these  people.  The  dress  of  the  women  so  much 
resemble  that  of  the  men  that  it  would  be  almost  impossible  to  distinguish  them  from 
each  other,  were  it  not  for  the  tattooing  before  mentioned. 

TRADE. 

Very  little  fish  is  sold  by  these  Indians  ;  their  trade  with  the  whites  consists  almost 
exclusively  of  furs.  The  valuable  skins  that  are  found  in  this  portion  of  Alaska  are, 
as  is  well  known,  those  of  the  marten  or  American  sable,  the  mink,  and  the  beaver.  In 
the  interior  the  black  and  silver  gray  fox  must  be  added  to  this  list. 

I  am  unable  to  state  the  amount  of  trade  with  the  coast  Indians,  but  it  is  small  com- 
pared with  the  trade  in  the  interior.  The  Indians  in  these  parts  of  Alaska  have  no 
idea  of  a  currency.  For  all  skins  they  take  goods  in  exchange.  The  price  depends  upon 
the  quality  of  the  skins,  and  is  very  valuable;  the  goods  which  are  in  the  most  demand 
among  them  are  useful  articles,  such  as  needles,  buttons,  knives,  kettles,  axes,  guns, 
lead,  powder,  caps,  blankets,  &c. ;  tobacco  and  tea  they  have  learned  from  the  Russians, 
are  also  much  sought  for. 

Concerning  the  influence  of  the  Russians  and  their  church  upon  these  people,  I  shall 
speak  hereafter.  The  tribes  which  I  have  classed  generally  as  Indians  of  the  interior 
are  all  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Kvichpak  or  Youkon  River  and  its  tributaries.  It 
has  been  my  fortune  to  travel  for  a  distance  of  about  fourteen  hundred  miles  upon  the 
waters  of  this  grand  and  magnificent  stream.  Tlie  Indian  tribes  are  so  numerous  and 
varied  in  habits  and  character,  that  I  am  at  a  loss  to  do  the  subject  any  sort  of  justice 
in  this  brief  article. 

INDIANS   OF  THE  LOWER  KVICHPAK. 

The  Indians  inhabiting  that  portion  of  the  river  and  those  tributaries  which  are 
situated  between  Nulato  and  the  mouth  may,  perhaps,  for  a  general  description,  be 
classified  with  sufficient  accuracy  under  the  head  of  the  Indians  of  the  Lower  Kvichpak. 
Nulato  is  a  small  trading  post,  situated  about  six  hundred  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the 
river.  Beyond  this  point  the  Russian  influence  and  trade  extends  but  little. 

The  principal  tributaries  which  empty  into  this  part  of  the  river  are  the  Auvic, 
whose  mouth  is  about  two  hundred  miles  below  Nulato,  the  Shagelook,  which  empties 


EEPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS.          141 

into  a  largo  slough  of  the  same  name,  about  thirty  miles  above  Auvic  and  Sakaitski, 
which  enters  the  main  river  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  above  the  Anvic. 

The  Indians  of  this  part  of  the  river  may  be  subdivided  into  two  great  tribes,  the 
Magainntes  or  Prinoski  people,  who  extend  from  the  mouth  of  the  river  to  within 
about  fifty  miles  of  the  Auvic,  and  the  Ingeletes,  who  inhabit  the  remaining  part  and 
the  tributaries.  All  these  people  much  resemble  the  Magamutes  of  the  coast  in  appear- 
ance, manners,  dress,  and  mode  of  life.  Drawing  their  entire  subsistence,  however, 
with  little  labor  from  the  waters  of  the  great  river,  they  are  much  less  active  and 
energetic  than  the  Coast  Indians.  They  are  cowardly  and  degraded  to  the  lowest 
extent,  and  live  in  constant  dread  of  the  highland  Indians,  who  inhabit  the  higher 
portions  of  the  river.  They  are  filthy  in  the  extreme.  Their  persons  and  houses  reek 
with  grease,  and  swarm  with  vermin.  Nevertheless,  they  are  extremely  honest,  kind, 
good  natured,  hospitable,  and  generous. 

To  the  above  remark  I  must  except  the  Indians  of  the  Shagalook  River.  These 
ladians  I  had  no  opportunity  to  observe  personally,  but  I  am  informed  that  they  are 
a  very  much  superior  race  ;  that  they  are  warlike,  enterprising,  and  intelligent,  and 
that  hunting  is  their  chief1  means  of  livelihood.  My  remarks  with  reference  to  trade 
with  the  Coast  Indians  apply  as  well  to  all  these  people. 

The  language  spoken  by  the  Ingeletes  is  totally  diiferent  from  that  of  the  Coast 
Indians,  Prinoski  and  Magamntes,  and  closely  resembles  that  of  the  Kuyakunski,  whom 
I  next  notice.  From  Nulato  to  the  mouth  of  the  Tunana  River,  a  distance  of  about 
three  hundred  miles,  the  Indians  have  been  by  the  Russians  called  by  the  general 
name  of  the  Kuyakinchi.  This  name,  however,  properly  belongs  to  the  tribe  which 
inhabit  the  banks  of  the  Kuyakuk  River,  a  large  tributary,  which  enters  the  Kvichpak 
about  twenty-five  miles  above  Nulato.  These  people  are  more  warlike,  more  treacher- 
ous, in  brief,  more  like  the  traditional  red  man  than  the  Indians  which  I  have  pre- 
viously described.  No  trouble  has  been  experienced  from  them  during  late  years, 
but  in  the  year  185U  they  made  a  descent  upon  the  Russian  trading  post  at  Nulato, 
killed  nearly  all  the  garrison,  and  completely  exterminated  an  inoffensive  tribe  of 
Ingelets,  whose  village  was  near  the  forts.  Among  those  who  lost  their  lives  in  this 
massacre  was  Lieutenant  Barnard,  an  officer  of  the  English  navy,  who  was  engaged  in 
the  search  for  Sir  John  Franklin. 

In  their  habits,  appearance,  and  trade,  these  people  much  resemble  the  Ingeletes. 
They  are,  however,  great  hunters.  At  the  mouth  of  the  great  Tanana  River,  on  the 
left  bank  of  the  Youkon,  is  a  large  level  plain,  called  Nndncayette.  This  is  the  trading 
ground  of  the  Tanana  Indians.  The  Tanana  deserve  more  than  a  passing  notice.  It  is 
by  far  the  largest  tributary  of  the  Youkon.  No  white  man,  I  think,  has  yet  ascended 
it,  but  it  is  believed  that,  making  a  large  bend  to  the  eastward,  its  head  waters  lie 
near  those  of  the  great  river ;  at  its  entrance  into  the  Yukon  it  is  at  least  half  a  mile 
wide,  and  its  current  is  tremendous.  The  tribes  on  this  river  must  be  very  numerous  ; 
they  assemble  at  Nuducayette  every  spring,  when  they  meet  the  white  traders.  I  esti- 
mate the  entire  yield  of  furs  of  the  Youkou  and  its  tributaries  to  be  about  twenty  thou- 
sand skins  yearly,  and  more  than  a  third  of  these,  I  believe,  come  from  the  banks  of  the 
Tanana. 

Of  these  people  I  know  little.  They  are  a  fine  looking  race,  and  are  said  to  be  active, 
intelligent,  and  enterprising;  they  are  much  addicted  to  the  use  of  ornaments,  such  as 
beads  and  feathers,  and  their  clothing  consists  almost  entirely  of  tanned  moose  skins. 
These  Indians,  and  the  Indians  of  Fort  Youkon,  are  occasionally  met  with  between  the 
Tauana  and  the  Rumparts,  a  point  where  the  banks  of  the  river  rise  into  mountains, 
and  the  current  becomes  extremely  rapid.  Beyond  this  point  there  are  no  Indians 
until  we  arrive  at  Fort  Youkon. 

TRIBES  AROUND  FORT  YOUKON. 

Fort  Youkon  has  been,  up  to  this  time,  the  most  western  post  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany. The  principal  tribes  which  have  been  accustomed  to  trade  at  this  post  are  the 
Kotch  a  Kotchins,  (or  lowlanders,)  who  live  between  the  Porcupine  and  Youkon  Rivers, 
near  their  junction  ;  the  An  Kotchins,  or  Gens-de-fiue,  and  the  Tatanchaks,  or  Gens-de- 
wiz,  who  inhabit  the  Upper  Youkon  and  the  Porcupine,  or  Gens-de-ralt,  who  live  upon 
the  banks  of  the  Porcupine,  or  Rat  River.  These  tribes  are  composed  of  the  finest 
Indians  I  have  ever  met.  The  women  are  virtuous,  the  men  are  brave,  intelligent,  and 
enterprising. 

Their  clothing  is  of  moose  skin,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  articles  which  they 
obtain  by  trade.  They  fish  little,  and  are  almost  exclusively  engaged  in  hunting  the 
moose,  which  abound  in  these  parts,  and  in  trapping  for  skins.  In  trading,  they  de- 
mand useful  articles;  but  beads,  bright-colored  -scarfs,  and  other  articles  of  ornament 
are  much  sought.  All  the  dealings  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  with  the  nations  seein 
to  have  been  fair  and  equitable.  The  Indians  are  much  attached  to  this  company,  and 
do  not  look  with  favor  upon  their  departure. 


142          REPORT   OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

MORAL,  AND  MISSIONARY  EFFORTS. 

Although  well  aware  that  they  were  violating  a  treaty,  the  agents  of  this  company 
have  been  for  a  number  of  years  accustomed  to  trade  as  far  down  the  river  as  Nucln- 
cayette,  and  have  thus  drawn  great  quantities  of  valuable  skins  from  the  Russian  ter- 
ritory. The  Russian  trade  on  the  lower  part  of  the  river  must  have  been  large  ;  but  it 
•was  never  prosecuted  with  that  energy  and  vigor  which  distinguish  the  great  English 
company.  Neither  company  gave  or  sold  ardent  spirits  to  the  Indians.  Toward  Chris- 
tianizing and  civilizing  the  nations  of  northern  Alaska  little  has  been  done.  On  the 
coast,  and  at  different  points  on  the  lower  Kvichpak,  the  Greco-Russian  church  has 
had  for  years  its  establishment  and  its  priests,  but  I  could  see  no  traces  of  a  good  in- 
fluence, beyond  a  few  Indians  who  had  been  in  the  service  of  the  Russian  company. 

But  if  this  church  has  done  little  toward  Christianizing  this  people,  it  must,  never- 
theless, be  confessed  that  there  is  among  them  a  most  remarkable  absence  of  super- 
stition. They  seem  to  me  to  present  the  astonishing  appearance  of  a  people  totally 
•without  a  worship  and  without  a  God. 

The  Indians  situated  between  the  Nudota  and  the  Ramparts  have  never  been 
brought  under  missionary  influence.  Their  superstitions  are  endless.  Every  tribe  has 
its  "  medicine  man,"  but  I  have  never  been  able  to  obtain  any  correct  idea  of  their  be- 
liefs or  worship. 

At  Fort  Youkon  the  case  is  far  different.  Here,  for  some  years  past,  there  has  been 
a  missionary  of  the  Church  of  England.  I  cannot  say  that  much  has  been  accom- 
plished toward  educating  the  natives,  but  to  me  the  effect  of  Gospel  teaching  was 
very  striking.  By  tradition  these  people  seem  to  have  been  a  warlike  and  quarrelsome 
race,  but  of  late  years  they  have  lived  at  peace  with  the  whites  and  among  them- 
selves. The  missionary  preaches  to  them,  and  they  worship  in  the  native  tongue. 
Of  course,  much  of  superstition  mingles  with  their  religion ;  but  the  influence  of  the 
Gospel,  as  far  as  it  has  been  extended,  has  been  for  their  great  good. 

The  Hudson's  Bay  Company  has  ever  pursued  an  enlightened  policy  with  regard  to 
the  encouragement  of  missions  among  the  Indians  with  whom  they  trade.  Now  that 
they  are  about  to  withdraw  from  our  Territory,  the  English  mission  will  doubtless  be 
broken  up.  I  cannot  refrain  from  expressing  the  hope  that,  while  American  enterprise 
is  so  rapidly  developing  this  new  country,  American  religion  will  not  permit  its  people 
to  relapse  into  their  original  darkness,  and  allow  a  great  work,  so  well  begun,  to 
cease. 


There  are  but  two  companies  engaged  in  the  Indian  trade  to  any  extent  in  northern 
Alaska.  Hutchison,  Kohle  &  Co.,  a  large  firm  of  San  Francisco,  have  a  number  of 
posts  at  various  points  of  the  river,  and  another  large  company,  which  has  no  name, 
but  is  backed  by  one  of  the  wealthiest  capitalists  of  San  Francisco,  is  established 
along  the  river  and  on  the  coast.  This  latter  company  have  already  placed  a  small 
steamboat  on  the  Youkon,  the  first  that  has  ever  traveled  in  these  waters. 

I  regret  that  my  limited  time  compels  me  to  bring  this  letter  to  a  close.    The  subject 
opens  up  as  I  write,  and  I  would  gladly  continue.     But  although  this  outline  sketch  is 
so  brief  and  imperfect,  I  hope  that  it  may  be  of  some  slight  service  to  the  commission. 
Very  respectfully,  your  most  obedient  servant, 

CHARLES  WALKER  RAYMOND, 

Captain  of  Engineers. 
Hon.  VINCENT  COLYER, 

United  States  Special  Indian  Commissioner. 

Mr.  William  H.  Dall,  in  his  interesting  report  to  the  Commissioner  of  Agriculture, 
1869,  says  of  the  Youkon  territory : 

SURFACE. 

The  character  of  the  country  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Youkon  River  varies  from 
rolling  and  somewhat  rocky  hills,  generally  low,  that  is,  from  five  hundred  to  fif- 
teen hundred  feet,  and  easy  of  ascent,  to  broad  and  marshy  plains,  extending  for 
miles  on  either  side  of  the  river  near  the  mouth.  There  are,  of  course,  no  roads  ex- 
cept an  occasional  trail,  hardly  noticeable  except  to  a  voyageur.  The  Youkon  and  its 
tributaries  form  the  great  highway  of  the  country.  This  stream — the  Missouri,  as  the 
Mackenzie  is  the  Mississippi,  of  the  northwest — is  navigable  in  our  territory  through- 
out for  vessels  drawing  not  over  four  feet  of  water,  and  for  many  hundred  miles  for 
boats  needing  much  more  than  that.  The  smaller  rivers  are  not  so  deep,  but  many  of 
them  may  be  navigable  for  considerable  distances.  There  are  no  high  mountains, 
properly  so  called. 


REPORT   OF   THE   COMMISSION   ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS.          143 


SOIL. 

The  underlying  rocks  in  great  part  are  azoic,  being  conglomerate,  syenite,  and 
qnartzite.  The  south  shore  of  Norton  Sound,  and  portions  of  the  Kaviak  Penin- 
sula, are  basalt  and  lava.  Trachytic  rocks  are  found  at  several  points  on  the  Youkou. 
There  are.  on  the  northeast  shores  of  Norton  Sound,  abundance  of  sandstones,  and 
clay  beds  containing  lignite.  Sandstone  is  abundant  also  on  the  Youkon,  alternating 
with  azoic  rocks.  The  superincumbent  soil  differs  in  different  places.  In  some  locali- 
ties it  is  clayey,  and  in  such  situations  quite  frequently  covered  with  sphagnum, 
which  always  impoverishes  the  soil  immediately  below  it.  In  others  it  is  light  and 
sandy,  and  over  a  large  extent  of  country  it  is  the  richest  alluvial,  composed  of  very 
fine  sand,  mud,  and  vegetable  matter,  brought  down  by  the  river,  aud  forming  deposits 
of  indefinite  depth. 

"  In  some  localities  fresh-water  marl  is  found  in  abundance,  and  is  used  for  mortar 
or  plaster,  to  whiten  the  walls  of  log-houses. 

"  The  soil  is  usually  frozen  at  a  depth  of  three  or  four  feet  in  ordinary  situations. 
In  colder  ones  it  remains  it-y  to  within  eighteen  inches  of  the  surface.  This  layer  of 
frozen  soil  is  six  or  eight  feet  thick;  below  that  depth  the  soil  is  destitute  of  ice,  ex- 
cept in  very  unusual  situations. 

"This  singular  phenomenon  appears  to  be  directly  traceable  to  want  of  drainage, 
combined  with  a  non-conducting  covering  of  moss,  which  prevents  the  soil  from  being 
warmed  by  the  scorching  sun  of  a  boreal  midsummer.  In  places  where  the  soil  is  well 
drained,  and  is  not  covered  with  moss,  as  in  the  large  alluvial  deposits  near  the  Youkon 
mouth,  I  have  noticed  that  the  frozen  layer  is  much  further  below  the  surface,  and  in 
many  places  appeared  to  be  absent.  I  have  no  doubt  that  in  favorable  situations,  by 
draining  and  deep  plowing,  the  ice  could,  in  the  course  of  time,  be  wholly  removed 
from  the  soil. 

"A  singular  phenomenon  on  the  shores  of  Kotzebne  Sound  was  first  observed  by 
Kotzebue  and  Chamisso,  and  is  described  in  the  narrative  of  the  voyage  of  the  Rurik, 
and  afterward  by  Buckland  in  the  appendix  to  the  voyage  of  the  Herald.  This  con- 
sisted of  bluffs  or  high  banks,  (thirty  to  :-ixty  feet,)  apparently  of  solid  ice,  covered  with 
a  few  feet  of  vegetable  matter  and  earth,  in  which  a  luxuriant  vegetation  was  flour- 
ishing. 

"  Kotzebue's  description  of  this  singular  formation  is  highly  colored ;  but  the  main 
facts  were  confirmed  by  Dr.  Buckland  and  his  companions,  who  made  a  careful  exam- 
ination of  the  locality,  although  Captain  Beechy  had  previously  reported  that  Kotze- 
bue had  been  deceived  by  snow  drifted  against  the  face  of  the  banks  and  remaining, 
-while  in  other  localities  it  had  melted  away. 

.  "It  is  reported  by  Bucklaud  and  later  observers  that  the  formation  is  rapidly  disap- 
pearing, and  the  water  in  the  sound  is  becoming  shoaler  every  day,  from  the  fall  of  the 
debris  which  covers  the  ice. 

"  No  explanation  having  been  offered  of  this  singular  phenomenon,  I  venture  to  sug- 
gest that  it  may  be  due  to  essentially  the  same  causes  as  the  subterranean  ice  layer, 
found  over  a  great  part  of  the  Youkou  Territory. 

"  It  is  quite  possible  to  conceive  of  a  locality  depressed,  and  so  deprived  of  drainage, 
that  the  annual  moisture  derived  from  the  rain-fall  and  melting  snow  would  collect 
between  the  impervious  clayey  soil  and  its  sphaguons  covering ;  congeal  during  the 
winter,  and  be  prevented  from  melting  during  the  ensuing  summer  by  that  mossy  cov- 
ering, which  would  thus  be  gradually  raised ;  the  process  annually  repeated  for  an 
indefinite  period  Avould  form  an  ice  layer  which  might  well  deserve  the  appellation  of 
an  '  ice  cliff,'  when  the  encroachments  of  the  sea  should  have  worn  away  its  barriers, 
and  laid  it  open  to  the  action  of  the  elements. 

"The  lesson  that  the  agriculturalist  may  learn  from  this  curious  formation  is,  that 
a  healthy  and  luxuriant  vegetation  may  exist  in  immediate  vicinity  of  permanent  ice, 
bearing  its  blossoms  and  maturing  its  seed  as  readily  as  in  apparently  more  favored 
situations ;  and  hence  that  a  large  extent  of  northern  territory  long  considered  valueless 
may  yet  furnish  to  the  settler,  trader,  or  fisherman,  if  not  an  abundant  harvest,  at  least 
a  very  acceptable  and  not  inconsiderable  addition  to  his  annual  stock  of  food,  besides 
fish,  venison,  and  game. 

CLIMATE. 

"The  climate  of  the  Youkon  territory  in  the  interior  differs  from  that  of  the 
sea-coast,  even  in  localities  comparatively  adjacent.  That  of  the  coast  is  tempered 
by  the  influence  of  the  vast  body  of  water  contained  in  Behring  Sea,  and  many  south- 
ern currents  bringing  wanner  water  from  the  Pacific,  making  the  winter  climate 
of  the  coast  much  milder  than  that  of  the  country,  even  thirty  miles  into  the  interior. 
T  he  summers,  on  the  other  bawd,  are  colder  than  further  inland,  and  the  quantity  of 
laiu  is  greater.  The  following  table  shows  the  annual  temperature  at  St.  Michael's 
Kedoubt,  on  the  coast  of  Norton  Sound,  in  latitude  63°  28'  north;  at  the  missiouof  the 


144 


EEPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 


Russo-Greek  church,  on  the  Youkon  River,  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  its  mouth, 
in  latitude  60°  47'  north  ;  at  Nulato,  about  six  hundred  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  in  latitude  64°  40'  north,  or  thereabouts  ;  and  at  Fort  Youkon,  twelve  hundred 
miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  about  latitude  67°  10'  north  : 


St.  Michael's. 

Mission. 

Nulato. 

F't  Youkon. 

0 

+29  3 

0 

+  19  62 

o 
-i-29  3 

0 

+14  22 

+  53.0 

+59.  32 

+  GO  0? 

_l  59  67 

+26.  3 

+36  05 

+  36  0» 

+  17  37 

+  8.6 

+  0.95 

14  0 

23  80 

+  29.3 

+  26.  48 

+27.  8 

+  16  92 

"The  mean  temperature  at  Unalaklik,  on  the  east  shore  of  Norton  Sound,  for  the 
winter  of  1866-'67  was  0.33° ;  but  for  that  of  16G7-'68  it  was  only  about  +0°.  The  mean 
annual  temperature  of  the  Youkon  territory  as  a  whole  may  be  roughly  estimated  as 
about  -(-25°.  The  greatest  degree  of  cold  ever  known  in  the  territory  was  seventy  de- 
grees below  zero,  but  such  cold  as  this  is  very  rare,  and  has  little  effect  on  the  vege- 
tation covered  with  eight  or  ten  feet  of  snow.  Running  water  may  be  found  open  oil 
all  the  rivers,  and  in  many  springs  throughout  the  year. 

"The  real  opportunity  for  agriculture  in  a  cold  country  cannot  be  deduced  from  an- 
nual mean  temperatures  alone,  but  is  dependent  on  the  heat  of  the  summer  months 
and  the  duration  of  the  summer. 

"  At  Fort  Youkon  I  have  seen  the  thermometer  at  noon,  not  in  the  direct  rays  of  the 
sun,  standing  at  112° ;  and  I  was  informed  by  the  commander  of  the  post  that  several 
spirit  thermometers,  graduated  up  to  120°,  had  burst  under  the  scorching  sun  of  the 
arctic  midsummer,  wrhieh  can  only  be  thoroughly  appreciated  by  one  who  has  endured 
it.  In  midsummer,  on  the  Upper  Youkon,  the  only  relief  from  the  intense  heat,  under 
which  the  vegetation  attains  an  almost  tropical  luxuriance,  is  the  two  or  three  hours 
while  the  sun  hovers  near  the  northern  horizon,  and  the  weary  voyager  in  his  canoe 
blesses  the  transient  coolness  of  the  midnight  air. 

"  The  amount  of  rain-fall  cannot  be  correctly  estimated,  from  want  of  data.  At 
Nulato  the  fall  of  snow  from  November  to  April  will  average  eight  feet,  but  often 
reaches  twelve.  It  is  much  less  on  the  seaboard.  Partly  on  this  account,  and  also 
because  it  is  driven  seaward  by  the  winds,  there  is  usually,  even  in  spring,  very  little 
snow  on  the  coasts  near  Norton  Sound. 

"  In  the  interior  there  is  less  wind,  and  the  snow  lies  as  it  falls  among  the  trees. 
Toward  spring  the  small  ravines,  gulleys,  and  bushes  are  well  filled  or  covered  up,  arid 
transportation  is  easy  and  pleasant  with  a  good  sled  and  team  of  dogs.  The  warm  sun 
at  noon  melts  the  snow  a  little,  forming  a  hard  crust.  Over  this  the  dog-sleds  can  go 
anywhere,  making  from  thirty  to  fifty  miles  a  day,  carrying  full  one  hundred  pounds  to 
a  dog,  and  requiring  for  each  dog  only  one  dry  fish  per  diem,  which  weighs  about  a 
pound  and  a  half,  and  which  you  can  buy  for  two  leaves  of  tobacco.  Seven  dogs  are 
the  usual  number  for  one  team. 

"The  rain-fall,  as  has  previously  been  remarked,  is  much  greater  on  the  coast  than 
in  the  interior.  Four  days  in  a  week  will  be  rainy  in  summer  at  St.  Michael's,  although 
the  months  of  May,  June,  and  part  of  July  abound  in  sunny  weather.  The  last  part 
of  July,  August,  and  most  of  September  are  very  rainy.  October  brings  a  change ;  the 
winds,  usually  from  the  southwrest  from  July  to  the  latter  part  of  September,  now  are 
mostly  from  the  north,  and  though  cold,  bring  fine  weather. 

"The  valley  of  the  Lower  Youkon  is  foggy  in  the  latter  part  of  the  summer,  but  as 
we  go  up  the  river  the  climate  improves,  and  the  short  summer  at  Fort  Youkon  is  dry, 
hot,  and  pleasant,  only  varied  by  an  occasional  shower.  The  great  pests  in  the  spring, 
all  along  the  river,  are  the  mosquitoes,  the  numbers  of  which  are  beyond  belief ;  but 
they  retire  about  the  middle  of  July.  On  the  coast  they  are  not  so  numerous,  but  lin- 
ger until  the  fall. 

INHABITANTS. 


"  The  native  inhabitants,  curiously  enough,  are  divided  by  the  same  invisible 
boundary  that  marks  the  vegetation.  All  along  the  treeless  coast  we  find  the  Es- 
quimaux tribes;  passing  a  few  miles  inland  we  come  to  trees  and  Indian  lodges. 
This  holds  good  all  over  the  Youkon  territory.  The  Esquimaux  extend  all  along  the 
coast  and  up  the  principal  rivers  as  far  as  there  are  no  trees.  The  Indians  populate  the 
interior,  but  seldom  pass  the  boundary  of  the  woods.  In  regard  to  habits,  neither  per- 
form any  agricultural  labor  whatever,  and  the  only  vegetables,  besides  berries,  used 
for  food,  are  the  roots  of  ffedysamm  Mackenzii,  Polygonum  viviparum,  and  a  species  of 
/Irchangelica,  and  the  leafstalks  of  a  species  of  Ehmm  or  wild  rhubarb. 

"  A  great  delicacy  among  the  Esquimaux  is  the  stomach  of  the  reindeer,  distended 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS.          145 

with  willow  sprigs,  well  masticated,  and  in  a  half-digested  state.  This  '  gruesome 
mass'  is  dried  for  winter  use;  when  it  is  mixed  with  melted  suet,  oil,  and  snow,  and 
regarded  by  the  consumers  much  as  we  regard  caviar,  or  any  other  peculiar  dainty.  It 
is,  no  doubt,  a  powerful  antiscorbutic.  The  Russian  settlements  in  the  Yonkon  terri- 
tory were  few  in  number.  There  were  four  on  the  Youkon,  one  on  the  Kuskoquim 
River,  two  on  Norton  Sound,  and  one  on  Bristol  Bay.  All  of  these  were  formerly 
provided  with  gardens.  The  number  of  Russians  in  the  territory  at  no  time  exceeded 
forty,  with  double  the  number  of  half-breeds,  assistants,  or  workmen.  They  were  all 
in  the  employ  of  the  Russian- American  Company.  Many  of  them  left  the  country  after 
the  purchase,  but  the  greater  number  remain  in  the  employ  of  different  American  trad- 
ing companies.  The  Russian-born  inhabitants  Avere  a  very  degraded  class,  almost 
without  exception  convicts  from  Siberia  or  elsewhere.  The  Creoles  or  half-breeds  are 
a  more  intelligent  and  docile  race,  but  lazy,  and  given  to  intoxication  whenever  stim- 
ulants are  within  their  reach. 

"  Natural  productions. — The  first  need  of  traveler,  hunter,  or  settler,  in  any  country, 
is  timber.  With  this  almost  all  parts  of  the  Youkon  territory  are  well  supplied. 
Even  the  treeless  coasts  of  the  Arctic  Ocean  can  hardly  be  said  to  be  an  exception,  as 
they  are  bountifully  supplied  with  driftwood,  brought  down  by  the  Youkon,  Kusko- 
quim, and  other  rivers,  and  distributed  by  the  waves  and  ocean  currents. 

"The  largest  and  most  valuable  tree  found  in  this  territory  is  the  white  spruce, 
(Abies  alba.)  This  beautiful  conifer  is  found  over  the  whole  country,  but  it  is  largest 
and  most  vigorous  in  the  vicinity  of  running  water.  It  attains  not  unfrequently 
the  height  of  sixty  to  one  hundred  feet,  with  a  diameter  of  over  three  feet  near 
the  butt;  but  the  more  common  size  is  about  thirty  or  forty  feet  high,  and  about 
eighteen  inches  at  the  butt.  The  wood  of  this  tree  is  straight-grained,  easily  cut, 
white  and  compact,  and  while  very  light,  it  is  also  very  tough,  much  more  so  than 
the  wood  of  the  Oregon  pine,  (Abies  Doittjla-m.)  For  spars  it  has  no  superior,  but  it  is 
rather  too  slender  for  large  masts.  The  bark  is  used  for  roofing  by  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  at  Fort  Youkon,  and  the  roots,  properly  prepared,  for  sewing  their  birch 
canoes  and  dishes,  by  the  Indians.  I  have  seen  log-houses  twenty  years  old,  in  which 
many  of  the  logs  were  quite  sound.  The  unsound  logs  were  said  to  be  those  Avhich  had 
been  used  without  being  seasoned.  These  trees  decrease  in  size  and  grow  more  spar- 
ingly toward  Fort  Youkou,  but  are  still  large  enough  for  most  purposes.  The  unex- 
plored waters  of  the  Tananah  River  bring  down  the  largest  logs  in  the  spring  fresh- 
ets. The  number  which  are  annually  discharged  from  the  mouth  of  the  Youkon  is 
truly  incalculable.  It  supplies  the  shores  of  Behriug  Sea,  the  islands,  and  the  Arctic 
coasts ;  logs  of  all  sizes  lie  in  winrows,  where  they  are  thrown  upon  the  shore  by  the 
October  southwesters. 

"  The  wood  is  put  to  manifold  uses  :  houses,  Indian  lodges,  &c..  are  all  constructed 
of  spruce.  Soft,  fine-grained,  and  easily  cut,  the  Indians  of  the  Lower  Youkon  spend 
their  leisure,  during  the  short  winter  days,  in  carving  dishes,  bowls,  and  other  utensils 
and  ornamenting  them  with  red  oxide  of  iron,  in  patterns,  some  of  which,  though  far 
from  classical,  are  very  neat. 

"  Sleds,  frames  for  skin  boats,  fishing  rods,  &c.,  are  made  by  the  Esquimaux  from 
spruce,  and  all  their  houses  and  casinos,  or  dance-houses,  are  built  of  it.  Oue  of  these, 
on  Norton  Sound,  about  thirty  by  forty  feet  square,  had  on  each  side  shelves  or  seats 
formed  of  one  plank,  four  inches  thick  and  thirty-eight  inches  wide  at  the  smaller  end. 
These  enormous  planks  took  six  years  to  make,  and  were  cut  out  of  single  logs  with 
small  stone  adzes. 

"The  next  most  important  tree  is  the  birch,  (Betnla  glandulosa.)  This  tree  rarely 
grows  over  eighteen  inches  in  diameter  and  forty  feet  high  ;  oil  one  occasion,  however, 
I  saw  a  water- worn  log  about  fifteen  feet  long,  quite  decorticated,  lying  on  the  river 
bank  near  Nuklukahyet,  on  the  Upper  Youkon,  which  was  twenty-four  inches  in  diam- 
eter at  one  end  and  twenty-eight  at  the  other.  This  is  the  only  hardwood  tree  in  the 
Youkon  Territory,  and  is  put  to  a  multiplicity  of  uses.  Everything  needing  a  hard  and 
tough  wood  is  constructed  of  birch.  Sleds,  snow-shoes,,  standards  for  the  fish  traps, 
and  frames  of  canoes,  which  are  afterwards  covered  with  its  bark,  sewed  with  spruce 
or  tamarack  (Larix)  roots,  and  the  seams  calked  with  spruce  gum.  The  black  birch  is 
also  found  there,  but  does  not  grow  so  large.  The  soft  new  wood  of  the  birch,  as  well 
as  of  the  poplar,  is  cut  very  fine  andmingled  with  his  tobacco  by  the  economical  Indian. 
The  squaws  at  certain  periods  wear  birchen  hoops  around  their  necks;  and  neck-rings 
and  wristlets  of  the  same  wood,  with  fantastic  devices  scratched  upon  them,  are  worn 
as  a  token  of  mourning  for  dead  friends  by  the  Tauauah  Indians. 

"Several  species  of  poplar (Populus  baUamifwa  and  Populus  tremuloides)  abound,  the 
former  along  the  water-side,  and  the  latter  on  drier  uplands.  The  first-mentioned  species 
grows  to  a  very  large  size.  The  trees  are  frequently  two  or  three  feet  in  diameter  and 
from  forty  to  .sixty  feet  high.  The  timber  is  of  little  value,  but  the  Indians. make  small 
boards,  for  ditiereut  purposes,  out  of  the  soft  wood,  and  use  the  feathery  down  from  the 
catkins  for  making  tinder,  by  rubbing  it  up  with  powdered  charcoal. 

"  Willows  are  the  most  abundant  of  trees.    They  are  of  all  sizes,  from  the  slender 

10 


146          REPORT    OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

variety  on  the  Lower  Youkon,  which  grows  seventy  or  eighty  feet  high  while  only  six 
inches  ill  diameter  at  the  butt,  and  with  a  mere  wisp  of  straggling  branches  at  the 
extreme  rip.  to  the  dwarf  willow,  crawling  under  the  moss,  with  a  stem  no  bigger  than 
a  lead  pencil,  and  throwing  up  shoots  a  few  inches  high.  Willows  are  almost  inva- 
riably rotten  at  the  heart,  and  are  only  good  for  fuel.  The  Kutchiu  Indians  make  bows 
of  the  wood  to  shoot  ducks  with ;  as  its  elasticity  is  not  injured  by  being  wet.  The 
inner  bark  is  used  for  making  twine  for  nets  and  seines  by  the  Indian  women,  and  the 
Esquimaux  of  Behring  Straits  use  willow  bark  to  color  and  tan  their  dressed  deer- 
skins. It  produces  a  beautiful  red-brown,  somewhat  like  Russian  leather.  The  inner 
bark  or  cambium  of  the  alder  (Alnus  rubra)  is  used  for  the  same  pin-pose. 

"  The  other  species  rising  to  the  rank  of  trees  in  this  district  are  the  larch,  (Larix 
dahurica  ?),  which  is  found  on  rolling  prairies,  of  small  size  ;  a  small  birch,  (lictula  nana,) 
and  several  alders,  (Alnus  vindis  and  incana,)  a  species  of  Juniper,  (Jtutipwus,)  and 
numberless  willows,  (Salicce.)  A  species  of  pine  (Piinis  cenibra)  has  been  reported  from 
Kotzebue  Sound,  I  cannot  but  think  erroneously,  as  I  saw  no  true  pines  in  the  Territory 
during  a  two  years'  exploration.  The  most  northern  point  touched  by  the  Pinus  con- 
torta,  at  the  junction  of  the  Lewis  and  the  Pelly  Rivers,  at  Fort  Selkirk,  in  latitude 
63°  north,  longitude  137°  west  (approximate.)  The  Hudson's  Bay  men  at  Fort  Youkon 
call  the  white  spruce  "  pine." 

FODDER. 

"  The  treeless  coasts  of  the  Youkon  territory  are  covered,  as  well  as  the  low-lands 
of  the  Youkon,  with  a  most  luxuriant  growth  of  grass  and  flowers.  Among  the 
more  valuable  of  these  grasses  (of  which  some  thirty  species  are  known  to  exist  in 
the  Yonkon  territory)  is  the  well  known  Kentucky  blue-grass  (Poa  pratensis,)  which 
grows  luxuriantly  as  far  north  as  Kotzebue  Sound,  and  perhaps  to  Point  Barrow. 

"The  wood  meadow-grass  (Poa  Jiemoralis)  is  also  abundant,  and  furnishes  to  cattle 
an  agreeable  and  Inxiiriant  pasturage. 

"  The  blue-joint  grass  ( Calamagrostis  Canademis)  also  reaches  the  latitude  of  Kotzebue 
Sound,  and  grows  on  the  coast  of  Norton  Sound  with  a  truly  surprising  luxuriance, 
reaching  in  very  favorable  localities  four  or  even  five  feet  in  height,  and  averaging  at 
least  three.  Many  other  grasses  enumerated  in  the  list  of  useful  plants  grow  abun- 
dantly, and  contribute  largely  to  the  whole  amount  of  herbage.  Two  species  of  Elymus 
almost  deceive  the  traveler  with  the  aspect  of  grain  fields,  maturing  a  perceptible  ker- 
nel, which  the  field  mice  lay  up  in  store. 

"  The  grasses  are  woven  into  mats,  dishes,  articles  of  clothing  for  summer  use,  such  as 
socks,  mittens,  and  a  sort  of  hats,  by  all  the  Indians,  and  more  especially  by  the  Esqui- 
maux. 

"  In  winter  the  dry  grasses,  collected  in  summer  for  the  purpose,  and  neatly  tied  in 
bunches,  are  shaped  to  correspond  with  the  foot,  and  placed  between  the  foot  and  the 
seal-skin  sole  of  the  winter  boots  worn  in  that  country.  There  they  serve  as  a  non- 
conductor, keeping  the  foot  dry  and  warm,  and  protecting  it  from  contusion  to  an  ex- 
tent which  the  much-lauded  moccasins  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  men  never  do.  In  fact,  I 
believe  the  latter  to  be,  without  exception,  the  worst,  most  uncomfortable,  and  least 
durable  covering  for  the  foot  worn  by  mortal  man. 

"  Grain  has  never  been  sown  on  a  large  scale  in  the  Youkon  territory.  Barley,  I  was 
informed,  had  once  or  twice  been  tried  at  Fort  Youkon,  in  small  patches,  and  the  grain 
had  matured,  though  the  straw  was  very  short.  The  experiments  were  never  carried 
any  further,  however,  the  traders  being  obliged  to  devote  all  their  energies  to  the  col- 
lection of  furs.  No  grain  had  ever  been  sown  by  the  Russians  at  any  of  the  posts.  In 
the  fall  of  1867  I  shook  out  an  old  bag,  purchased  from  the  Russians,  which  contained 
a  handful  of  mouse-eaten  grain,  probably  wheat :  the  succeeding  spring,  on  examining 
the  Ipcality,  quite  a  number  of  blades  appeared,  and  when  I  left  Nulato,  June  2d,  they 
were  two  or  three  inches  high,  growing  rapidly.  As  I  did  not  return  I  cannot  say 
what  the  result  wras.  Turnips  and  radishes  always  flourished  extremely  well  at  St. 
Michael's,  and  the  same  is  said  of  Nulato  and  Fort  Youkon. 

"  Potatoes  succeeded  at  the  latter  place,  though  the  tubers  were  small.  They  were 
regularly  planted  for  several  years,  until  the  seed  was  lost  by  freezing  during  the  win- 
ter. At  St.  Michael's  they  did  not  do  well.  Salad  was  successful ;  but  cabbages  would 
not  head. 

"  The  white  round  turnips  grown  at  St.  Michael's  were  the  best  I  ever  saw  anywhere, 
and  very  large,  many  of  them  weighing  five  or  six  pounds.  They  were  crisp  and 
sweet,  though  occasionally  a  very  large  one  would  be  hollow-hearted.  The  Russians 
preserved  the  tops  also  in  vinegar  for  winter  use. 


"  I  see  no  reason  why  cattle  with  proper  winter  protection  might  not  fee  success- 
fully kept  in  most  parts  of  the  Youkon  territory.  Fodder,  as  previously  shown,  is 
abundant.  The  wild  sheep,  moose,  and  reindeer  abound,  and  find  no  want  of  food. 


REPORT   OF   THE   COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN   AFFAIRS.         147 

*A  bull  and  cow  were  once  sent  to  Fort  Yonkon  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company. 
They  did  well  for  some  time,  but  one  day,  while  the  cow  was  grazing  on  the  river 
bank,  the  soil  gave  way,  and  she  was  thrown  down  and  killed.  Due  notice  was  given 
of  the  fact,  but  for  a  year  or  two  the  small  annual  supply  of  butter  in  the  provisions 
for  Fort  Youkon  was  withheld  on  the  ground  of  there  being  '<  cattle"  (to  wit,  the  bull) 
at  that  post.  Finally  the  commander  killed  the  animal,  determined  that  if  he  could 
not  have  butter,  he  would  at  least  have  beef.  It  will  be  remembered  that  this  point  is 
north  of  the  Arctic  Circle,  and  the  most  northern  point  in  Alaska  inhabited  by  white 
men. 

FRUITS. 

"  There  are.  as  might  be  supposed,  no  tree  fruits  in  the  Youken  territory  suitable 
for  food.  Small  fruits  are  there  in  the  greatest  profusion.  Among  them  may  be 
noted  red  and  black  currants,  gooseberries,  cranberries,  raspberries,  thimbleberries, 
saluionberries,  blueberries,  killikinik  berries,  bearberries,  dewberries,  twinberries,  ser- 
vice or  heathberries,  mossberries,  aud  roseberries ;  the  latter,  the  fruit  of  the  Rom 
cinnamomea,  when  touched  by  the  frost,  form  a  pleasant  addition  to  the  table,  not  be- 
ing dry  and  woolly,  as  in  our  climate,  but  sweet  and  juicy. 

"  All  these  berries,  but  especially  the  salmonberry  or  "  morosky"  of  the  Russians 
(Rubus  chamaemortts,)  are  excellent  anti-scorbutics.  They  are  preserved  by  the  Esqui- 
maux in  large  wooden  dishes  or  vessels  holding  five  gallons  or  more  ;  covered  with 
large  leaves,  they  undergo  a  slight  fermentation,  and  freeze  solid  when  cold  weather 
comes.  In  this  state  they  may  be  kept  indefinitely  ;  and  a  more  delicious  dish  than  a 
plateful  of  these  berries,  not  so  thoroughly  melted  as  to  lose  their  coolness,  and 
sprinkled  with  a  little  white  sugar,  it  would  be  impossible  to  conceive. 

"  The  Russians  also  prepare  a  very  luscious  conserve  from  these  and  other  berries, 
relieving  the  sameness  of  a  diet  of  fish,  bread,  and  tea,  with  the  native  productions  of 
the  country." 

APPENDIX  Q. 
Report  of  L.  A.  Lagrangc,  on   Unalaslfa. 

SIR  :  In  reply  to  your  inquiries  concerning  the  Aleutes  of  Unalaska  and  their  sur- 
roundings, I  will  answer  in  the  order  you  have  presented  them. 

UNALASKA, 

the  most  important  of  the  Aleutian  Islands,  is  in  about  latitude  166°  and  longitude  54°. 
Like  the  rest  of  this  group  it  is  of  volcanic  origin.  Its  surface,  devoid  of  trees,  is 
mountainous,  interspersed  with  valleys,  which  I  think,  with  proper  culture,  would 
yield  good  crops  of  roots  and  some  of  the  cereals.  There  are  many  small  lakes  and 
streams  of  sweet  water  in  the  island,  most  of  them  inhabited  by  trout,  and  frequented 
by  wild  fowl ;  aiid  the  priest  of  the  Russian-Greek  church  told  me  of  a  lake  over  the 
mountains,  about  two  days' journey  from  Iliouliouk,  around  which  the  Aleutes  used  to  find 
amber,  but  he  said  no  one  had  visited  it  lately,  and  that  the  Russians  collected  and 
sent  away  all  that  had  ever  been  found.  I  have  been  told  that  in  one  arm  of  the  bay 
is  a  bed  of  copper,  but  have  never  been  able  to  locate  it.  This  may  some  day  be  traced 
to  the  shore  and  worked  to  advantage. 

ELALUK, 

the  chief  settlement,  is  situated  on  a  narrow  level  spot  of  land,  which  is  formed  by 
the  bay  on  one  side  and  a  considerable  stream  of  water  on  the  other,  which  empties 
into  the  bay  a  short  distance  below  the  village.  Back  of  the  river  the  hills  rise 
abruptly.  The  village,  mostly  of  sod  houses,  contains  about  three  hundred  native  in- 
habitants, three  stores  or  trading  posts,  and  a  handsome  Greek  church.  The  place  has 
been  visited  several  times  by  earthquakes,  and  one,  a  number  of  years  ago,  destroyed 
a  greater  part  of  the  village,  which  has  been  rebuilt  further  up  the  spit.  The  same 
convulsion  deepened,  or  rather  formed  the  inner  harbor,  which  prior  to  that  time  ex- 
isted only  as  a  shoal,  but  is  now  au  excellent  anchorage  for  vessels  of  every  class. 

STORES, 

three  in  number,  all  find  something  to  do.  Two  of  them,  belonging  respectively  to 
Messrs.  Maylor  and  Beiidel,  and  Hutchinson,  Kohl  &  Co.,  have  established  branches  in 
other  settlements  at  different  points  of  the  island.  The  third,  with  a  small  stock  of 
goods,  was  opened  by  the  schooner  General  Harney  in  August  last.  That  of  Taylor 
and  Bendel  was  opened  Mav,  and  Hutchinson,  Kohl  &  Co.  have  had  a  post  there  since 
1867-'68. 


148  EEPORT    OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

AGRICULTURE, 

as  practiced  by  the  Aleutes,  without  any  beasts  of  burden,  is  in  a  small  way  quite  suc- 
cessful. Small  potatoes  are  grown  without  any  care  whatever  except  planting  and 
gathering  them.  The  dirt  is  thrown  up  in  ridges  or  beds  with  shovels,  holes  made 
with  sticks,  potatoes  dropped  in  singly  and  covered  up,  then  left  undisturbed  by  hoe 
or  spade  until  harvest  time.  The  planting  is  done  during  the  latter  part  of  May  and 
the  first  of  June,  and  the  digging  in  September  and  October.  With  a  little  more  care 
turnips  of  a  superior  quality  are  grown.  The  priest  told  me  that  the  former  bishop 
brought  rye  and  barley  to  maturity  near  the  village,  but  that  wheat  would  not  thrive. 
In  the  rich  valleys  before  mentioned  many  grasses  grow  with  a  wild  luxuriance  and  de- 
velop fully,  but,  owing  to  the  mists  which  prevail,  it  would  be  difficult  to  cure  large 
quantities  of  hay  before  the  grasses  were  too  old  and  strong  for  a  prime  article. 

This  difficulty  could  be  easily  overcome,  however,  as  there  is  a  way  of  curing  hay 
with  salt  known  to  farmers. 

The  priest  has  two  cows  and  a  bullock,  and  the  agent  of  Messrs.  Hutchinson,  Kohl 
&  Co.  a  number  of  sheep  and  swine;  these  animals,  all  in  fine  condition,  provide  for 
themselves  in  summer,  and  receive  but  little  care  in  winter. 

INDUSTRY   OF   NATIVES. 

The  Aleutes  are  frequently  employed  as  sailors,  and  are  of  great  service  to  vessels 
loading  or  discharging  cargo.  They  work  faithfully  and  intelligently  for  a  moderate 
compensation,  the  current  wages  being  a  dollar  a  day  in  coin. 

The  men  perform  the  outdoor  labor,  leaving  the  women  to  look  after  the  house  and 
children.  The  traders  employ  them  to  prepare  their  furs  for  market.  They  are  uni- 
formly kind,  friendly,  and  honest.  Locks  and  keys,  when  sold  among  them,  are  more 
for  ornament  than  security. 

INTEMPERANCE. 

Like  most  other  Indians,  most  of  them  have  an  appetite  for  ardent  spirits,  and  be- 
fore our  government  prohibited  the  importation  of  liquor  into  the  Territory  great  bar- 
gains in  furs  were  made  with  them  for  all  manner  of  oil  compounds  by  those  who  boast 
of  this  now.  I  do  not  think  they  obtained  any  liquors  from  traders  during  my  resi- 
dence in  Unalaska ;  but  each  "  prasnik  "  or  holiday  many  men  and  women  were  drunk 
from  the  effects  of  quass.  This  quass  is  a  fermented  liquor  made  by  themselves  from 
flour,  sugar,  and  a  kind  of  whortleberry  which  grows  on  every  hillside.  In  winter 
dried  apples  and  raisins  are  used  in  place  of  the  berries.  This  has  a  sour  and,  to  me,  nau- 
seating taste.  Those  who  use  it  drink  it  by  the  quart  and  get  very  drunk,  but  I  am  glad 
to  say  this  intemperance  is  by  no  means  universal,  there  being  many  sober,  steady  men 
among  them.  Having  already  mentioned  prasuiks  I  will  here  say  a  word  concerning 
their 

RELIGION.  • 

All  the  Aleutes,  as  far  as  I  have  seen,  are  devoted  members  of  the  Greek  church. 
Many  of  them  come  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  in  their  bidarkas,  or  skin  canoes,  (the  uni- 
versal means  of  transportation,)  to  attend  church  service  on  certain  holidays.  The 
priest  at  Iliouliouk,  an  educated  Aleute,  pays  an  annual  visit  to  all  the  islands  of  the  group, 
and  also  to  those  of  St.  Paul  and  St.  George.  In  former  times  these  voyages  were  per- 
formed in  bidarkas,  five  or  six  of  which,  lashed  together  like  a  raft  and  propelled  by 
oar  and  sail,  he  informs  me  made  a  safe  but  not  always  convenient  means  of  convey- 
ance. During  the  remainder  of  the  year  resident  or  "  second "  priests  on  the  various 
islands  attend  to  the  pastoral  duties.  Latterly  he  has  paid  his  annual  visits  in  the 
vessels  of  the  Russian- American  Fur  Company,  and  still  later,  in  those  belonging  to 
Hutchinson,  Kohl  &  Co. 

EDUCATION. 

I  am  not  aware  of  any  effort  being  made  in  Unalaska  in  this  direction  at  present, 
except  in  individual  cases.  The  Russians  had  an  established  system  for  the  education 
of  the  Aleutes,  but  it  has  fallen  into  disuse.  Most  of  them  read  and  write,  (Russian,) 
and  many  are  good  arithmeticians. 

The  Aleutes  generally  learn  very  readily.  One  that  I  employed  as  house  servant  soon 
acquired  enough  English  to  act  as  interpreter  on  many  occasions.  He  also  displayed 
great  skill  in  teaching  me  the  rudiments  of  the  Russian  language.  Give  them  to  un- 
derstand American  institutions,  and  they  are  better  fitted  to  exercise  all  the  rights  of 
American  citizens  than  many  who  are  admitted  daily  to  citizenship. 


REPORT   OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN    AFFAIRS.         149 

FURS 

The  only  articles  of  commerce  at  present  obtained  in  and  exported  from  Uualaska 
are  the  skins  of  the  sea-otter,  fur-seal,  and  fox.  Foxes,  however,  are  not  very  plenti- 
ful, and  are,  I  believe,  of  the  uniform  races.  They  are  captured  in  winter.  But  few  of 
the  fur-seal  are  taken,  either.  Some  of  them  come  into  the  bay  every  year  during  the 
months  of  October  and  November  and  are  captured.  They  have  no  "rookeries"  or 
lauding  places  on  this  island,  and  when  in  the  bay  seem  to  have  lost  their  reckoning 
•\vhile  on  their  way  from  St.  Paul  or  St.  George  to  no  one  knows  where.  The  well- 
known  imperial  fur  of  Russia,  the  sea-otter,  is  the  chief  export  of  Unalaska,  and,  in  fact, 
of  all  the  Aleutian  isiands.  These  animals  are  captured  during  the  summer  and  autumn. 
Hunting  parties  of  from  ten  to  forty  men  go  out  in  bidarkas  and  are  gone  from  three 
to  eight  weeks.  When  a  party  comes  up  with  an  otter,  if  he  is  not  asleep,  (when  he 
is  killed  at  once,)  they  dispose  of  their  forces  in  such  a  manner  as  to  keep  him  under 
water  as  much  as  possible.  This  is  effected  by  throwing  darts  (or  spears)  at  him  every 
time  he  appears  on  the  surface.  These  darts  are  so  arranged  that  the  point  readily 
loosens  from  the  staff,  but  is  still  fast  to  it  by  a  long  strong  cord.  By  this  arrange- 
ment when  the  animal  is  struck  the  staff  acts  as  a  buoy  when  he  dives  and  much  em- 
barrasses his  movements';  when  at  last  he  is  so  worried  as  to  lie  passively  on  the  sur- 
face he  is  dispatched  by  a  stroke  on  the  head  with  a  club.  I  know  of  one  man  of  a 
party  of  twenty  who  returned  from  a  three  weeks'  excursion  with  fifteen  skins,  for 
which  he  received  from  fifteen  to  fifty  dollars  coin  each.  He  was  one  of  their  most 
skillful  hunters,  and  owing  to  the  opposition  in  trade  in  Iliouliouk  his  twenty-one  days' 
work  paid  extremely  well. 

FISHERIES. 

Fish  of  many  kinds  are  abundant,  the  most  important  of  which  are  the  cod  and  sal- 
mon, but  they  have  not  yet  hecome  an  article  of  commerce. 

The  Aleutes  have  only  been  accustomed  to  labor  under  the  direction  of  white  men, 
and  so  far  the  whites  have  found  the  fur  trade  more  profitable  than  the  fisheries  ;  but 
when  the  fur  trade  begins  to  be  overdone,  and  the  Aleutes  Americanized,  the  fisheries 
are  bound  to  be  developed,  and  to  rival,  if  not  surpass,  those  of  the  Atlantic  coast. 

"  Salmon  are  the  commonest  of  common  food"  with  the  Aleutes.  At  one  draught  of 
the  United  States  revenue  cutter  Lincoln's  seine,  while  she  lay  in  the  harbor  last  June, 
two  thousand  five  hundred  salmon  and  hen-ings  were  taken.  The  herrings  of  this  place 
are  pronounced  by  judges  to  be  of  a  superior  quality,  but  I  am  told  the  salmon  are 
inferior  to  those  found  in  many  parts  of  the  Territory.  A  party  of  Americans  attempted 
the  cod  fishing  last  summer,  but  owing  to  a  lack  of  proper  appliances,  and  the  great 
distance  of  the  "  banks  "  from  Iliouliouk,  they  abandoned  the  undertaking  when  they 
had  caught  about  two  tons.  The  fish  were  excellent. 

During  the  months  of  June,  July  and  August  whales  of  the  variety  known  as  the 
humpback  come  into  the  harbor  in  great  numbers.  Nine  were  killed  last  summer  by 
the  natives,  in  their  frail  bidarkas,  with  glass  pointed  lances.  These  points  are 
chipped  from  broken  bottles,  and  the  lance  is  made  after  the  manner  of  the  otter  spear, 
though  somewhat  heavier  and  minus  the  cord.  They  pull  close  to  the  whale  and  throw 
the  lance  into  film  with  great  force,  near  his  vitals  ;  the  point  quits  the  staff  as  soon 
as  it  strikes,  and  they  trust  to  the  action  of  the  whale's  muscles  to  drive  it  home. 
One  that  has  been  well  struck  will  (to  use  a  whaleman's  expression)  turn  flukes  in  two 
or  three  days.  Besides  those  killed  by  the  natives  five  more  were  taken  by  a  part  of 
the  crew  of  the  barque  Mouticello,  as  she  lay  at  anchor  in  the  harbor,  without  a  prac- 
tical whaler  among  them.  I  understand  that  certain  parties  in  San  Francisco  intend 
to  put  up  try- works  near  Iliouliouk,  next  summer,  and  make  a  business  of  whale  fishing 
in  the  harbor.  The  enterprise  will  be  a  paying  one. 

HARBOR  COMMERCE. 

Iliouliouk,  with  the  best  harbor  in  Alaska  Territory,  and  its  not  severe  ciimate,  lying 
in  the  direct  route  from  San  Francisco  to  all  the  important  islands,  bays,  and  rivers  of 
the  north,  is  the  true  commercial  centre  of  the  Territory.  The  commodious  harbor, 
sheltered  on  all  sides  by  lofty  mountains,  affords  a  secure  anchorage  to  all-kinds  of 
shipping.  At  one  time  last  summer  eight  vessels  lay  at  anchor,  and  there  was  still 
room  for  twice  as  many  more.  More  custom  house  business  was  done  there  last  sum- 
mer than  all  the  rest  of  the  ports  of  the  Territory  together.  Every  sea  captain  whom 
I  met  there  wondered  that  Sitka,  which  is  one  hundred  and  ten  miles  out  of  the  line  of 
trade,  and  has  no  harbor  at  all,  should  be  preferred  before  Iliouliouk  as  the  port  of 
entry  for  the  new  collection  district. 

With  many  good  wishes  for  the  future  prosperity  of  Iliouliouk  and  its  inhabitants, 
I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully, 

L.  A.  LAGRANGE. 

Hon.  VlXCKNT   COLYER, 

United  States  Special  Indian  Commissioner. 


150 


REPORT   OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 


THE  ALEUTIAN  ISLANDS. 

Mr.  William  H.  Dall,  in  his  account  of  these  Aleutian  Islands,  says  : 
"  These  islands  are  merely  the  prolongation  of  the  Alaskan  range  of  mountains. 
Many  of  them  contain  volcanic  peaks,  some  still  in  a  state  of  moderate  activity.    Slight 
shocks  of  earthquake  are  common,  but  many  years  have  elapsed  since  any  material 
damage  was  done  to  life  or  property  by  volcanic  action.    Most  of  the  islands  have  har 
bors,  many  of  them  safe  and  commodious.    The  soil  is  much  of  it  rich,  consisting  of 
vegetable  mold  and  dark-colored  clays,  with  here  and  there  light  calcareous  loam, 
formed  by  the  decomposition  of  tertiary  strata  rich  in  fossils.    In  many  places  the 
growth  of  sphagnum,  indicating  want  of  drainage,  prevails  over  the  perennial  grasses 
natural  to  the  soil,  but  the  remedy  is  self-evident. 

"  On  some  places  the  soil  is  formed  of  decomposed  volcanic  products,  such  as  ush  and 
pumice.  Much  of  this  is  rich  and  productive. 

"  CLIMATE. 

"  The  climate  of  the  islands  is  moist  and  warm.  The  greatest  cold  recorded  in  five  years 
by  Father  Veniaminof  in  Unalaska  was  zero  of  Fahrenheit.  This  occurred  only  once. 
The  greatest  height  of  the  mercury  was  seventy-seven  degrees  of  Fahrenheit.  The 
following  table  will  show  the  range  of  the  thermometer  and  the  relative  frequence 
of  good  and  bad1  weather  : 

"  Thermometer. 


Tear. 

7  a.  m. 

1p.m. 

9  p.  in. 

Extreme 
heat. 

Extreme 
cold. 

Range. 

1830  

35° 

38° 

34° 

77° 

0 

77 

1831 

36 

40 

34 

64 

7 

57 

1832 

39 

42 

38 

77 

7 

70 

1833  

38 

41 

36 

76 

5 

71 

Average  five  years  

37 

40.5 

36 

77 

0 

77 

« 

"  Weather,  average  of  seven  years. 


Jan. 

Feb. 

Mar. 

Apr. 

May 

June 

July 

Aug. 

Sept. 

Oct 

Nov. 

Dec. 

Total. 

Days  all  clear.  . 

11 

9 

3 

4 

2 

6 

0 

5 

2 

2 

3 

6 

53 

Days  half  clear,  half  clotidy  
Days  all  cloundy  or  foggy,  with 
or  without  snow,  rain,  or  hail. 

111 
95 

86 
103 

112 
102 

104 
102 

105 
104 

95 
102 

118 
99 

106 
106 

107 
101 

115 

100 

88 
119 

116 
95 

1263 
1235 

"  These  observations  were  taken  in  Iliouliouk  by  Rev.  Father  Innocentins  Veniaminof, 
now  or  lately  bishop  of  Kamschatka.  He  notices  that,  from  October  to  April,  the  pre- 
valent winds  are  north  and  west ;  and  from  April  to  October,  south  and  west.  The 
thermometer  is  lowest  in  January  and  March,  the  highest  in  July  and  August.  At  this 
point  it  may  not  be  superfluous  to  insert,  as  a  means  of  comparison,  a  few  statistics  in 
regard  to  a  very  similar  country,  which  has,  however,  been  under  cultivation  for  cen- 
turies. It  will  serve  to  show  what  human  industry  and  careful  application  of  experi- 
ence may  do  with  a  country  colder  and  more  barren  and  nearly  as  rainy  as  the  Aleutian 
and  northern  Sitkan  districts  of  Alaska.  I  refer  to  the  highlands  of  Scotland,  and  the 
Hebrides,  whose  '  Scotch  mists '  have  become  proverbial. 

"  Aiton  *  has  ascribed  the  more  rainy  and  cold  climate  of  Scotland  to  the  accumula- 
tions of  sphagnum  :  '  Thirty-two  and  a  half  ounces  of  dry  moss  soil  will  retain  without 
fluidity  eighteen  ounces  ofwater;  while  thirty-nine  ounces  of  the  richest  garden 
mold  will  only  retain  eighteen  and  a  half  ounces.  Moss  is  also  more  retentive  of  cold 
than  any  other  soil.  Frost  is  often  found  to  continue  in  deep  mosses  (in  Scotland) 
until  after  the  middle  of  summer.  Hence  the,eflect  of  mossy  accumulations  in  ren- 
dering the  climate  colder.' 

"  Dr.  Graham,  of  Aberfoyle,  referring  to  the  western  district  of  Scotland,  says  that 
Ayrshire  is  very  moist  and  damp,  with  a  mild  and  temperate  climate. 

"  Renfrewshire  is  visited  with  frequent  and  heavy  rains.  Dumbartonshire  has  the 
same  character.  Argyleshire  is  considered  the  most  rainy  county  of  Scotland. 

"  'The  vapors  of  the  ocean  are  attracted  by  its  lofty  mountains,  and  the  clouds  dis- 
charge themselves  in  torrents  on  the  valleys.'  t  '  The  winters  are  for  the  most  part 
mild  and  temperate,  but  the  summers  are  frequently  rainy  and  cold.  The  climate  of 
the  Zetland  Isles  resembles  in  most  respects  that  of  the  Orkneys.  Though  the  sky  is 
inclement  and  the  air  moist,  it  is  far  from  unhealthy.  The  rain  continues  not  only  for 

*  Treatise  on  Peat-moss,  &c.     See  Edinburgh  Encyclopedia,  p.  738,  vol.  xri 
t  Edinburgh  Encyclopedia,  voL  xvi.  p.  739. 


REPORT    OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 


151 


hours  but  for  days ;  nay.  even  for  weeks  if  the  wind  blow  from  the  west,'  &c.     Substi- 
tute Alaska  for  Scotland,  and  the  description  would  be  equally  accurate. 

"  Mean  temperature  of  Inverness  * 


Tear. 

Winter. 

Spring. 

Summer. 

Fall. 

1821  .. 

47.83 

39.59 

44.93 

55.34 

49.90 

Ie22  

48.02 

39.44 

47.22 

57.79 

47.59 

"At  Drymen,  in  Stirlingshire,  the  average  for  fgurteen  years  was  two  hundred  and 
five  days,  more  or  less  rainy,  per  annum  ;  the  average  on  the  island  of  Uualaska  was 
one  hundred  and  fifty  for  seven  years,  according  to  Veniaminof.  The  average  rain-fall 
in  Stirlingshire  was  about  forty-three  inches;  in  Unalaska,  was  forty-four  inches,  (ap- 
proximate.) 

"  Let  us  now  examine  the  productions  of  this  country,  so  nearly  agreeing  in  temper- 
ature and  rain-fall  with  what  we  know  of  the  Aleutian  district.  It  may  reasonably 
prove  an  approximate  index  to  what  time  may  bring  to  pass  in  our  new  Territory .t 

"Agricultural  statistics  of  the  Highlands  of  Scotland,  and  islands,  in  1854  and  1866. 


Occupante. 


1855. 


Bushels  of  wheat 


1854. 


1855. 


Bushels  of  barley. 


1854. 


1855. 


Bushels  of  oats. 


1854. 


1855. 


Argyle 

Arrau 

Caithness 

Inverness 

Orkney  

Zetland" 

Koss  and  Cromarty 

Sutherland... 


Total. 


1,620 
152 
504 
740 
262? 
395 
873 
141 


7,315 
4.373 
4,644 
47,573 

180 

220,179 
10,183 


13.  394 
4,  fc* 
5,607 

37,614 

393 

233,018 

8,885 


56,795 
1,974 
9,549 

93,100 

5,727 

264,112 
51,936 


46,819 

619 

7,609 

64,  957 

2,746 

204,  417 
35,759 


806,395 

49, 139 

748,  215 

437,584 

238,728 

620,  035 
93,637 


705,  375 

42,154 

613,  799 

363,176 

258,  7,-=9 

493,  042 
80,136 


4,340 


294,  447 


303,799     |  483,193 


362,726       2,993,733       2,557,871 


Bushels  of  rye. 


Bush,  of  beans 
and  peas. 


1854. 


1855. 


1854.        1855. 


Cwt.  of  turnips. 


1854. 


1855. 


Cwt.  of  potatoes. 


1854.        1855. 


Argyle 

Arran 

Caithness 

Inverness 

Orkney 

Zetlancl 

Koss  and  Cromarty  . 
Sutherland 


65,144 

7,086 

96,  924 

23,068 

108, 168 

4,604 
1,065 


59,093 

4.655 

56,292 

22,206 

105,  525 

6,167 
2,693 


15, 147 
4,403 


21,641 
3,525 


2,  572 
342 

8,273 


5,227 


21,  834 
114 


84,907 

6,497 

143,  416 

84,984 

39,230 

160, 145 
32,  052 


103,  444 
4,344 

120,787 
73,  948 

42,536 

163,834 
29,767 


10,504 

671 

8,310 

6,519 

6,532 

17,  2*1 
1,540 


26,412 
1,493 
5.931 

12, 176 

6,261 

20,876 
1,633 


Total 


308,059       256,631 


30,737 


52,  339 


551,231 


528,600 


51,  357 


74,782 


Acres  of  Swedish 
turnips. 


1854. 


1855. 


Acres  of  carrots. 


Acres  of  cabbage. 


Acres  of  flax. 


1854. 


1855. 


1854.  1855. 


1854.        1855. 


Ar-ryle 

Arruu 

Caithness 

Inverness 

Orkney  

Zetland 

Ross  and  Croniarty 
Sutherland 


13 


24 


26 
12J 

2 
1 


Total 


111 


77 


43J 


33 


123 


117 


49J 


*  Lat.  57°  30'— Kadiak  is  precisely  the  same. 

t  These  statistics  are  oihcial,  from  the  Transactions  of  the  Highland  and  Agricultural  Society  of 
Scotland,  voL  xv,  1856. 


152 


REPORT    OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 


Acres  of  grass  and  hay. 

Horses. 

Cows  and 
oxen. 

Sheep. 

Swine. 

1854. 

1855. 

1855. 

1855. 

1855. 

1855. 

Arjryle  

36,  151 
3,002 
19,  043 

40,  303 
2,588 
18,  076 
14,226 
8,297 
535 
20,491 
4,446 

8,512 
2,367 
801 
3,485 

}       8.437J 

4,414 
914 

60,  378 
3,010 
14,  659 
24,  061 
8,128 
1,  250 
16,190 
3,  642 

814,  029 
25,  630 
60,  447 
567,  694 
10,  815 
5,845 
288,  015 
200,  553 

3,458 
360 
1,149 
1,667 
1,337 
50 
4,557 
550 

Arran  

Caithness  

Inverness  

15,  313 
4,954 
232 
19,  641 
3,936 

Orkney  

Zetland  

Xoss  and  Cromarty  

Sutherland  

Total  

102,  272 

108,  962 

22,930 

131,  318 

1,  973,  028 

13,128 

L- 

"It  will  be  noted  from  these  statistics  that  the  quantity  of  potatoes  and  also  the 
quantity  of  wheat  is  small,  when  compared  with  the  other  root  crops  or  cereals. 

"The  small  Highland  cattle  are  well  known,  and,  like  the  small  Siberian  stock, 
admirably  suited  to  such  a  climate  and  country.  They  produce  tender,  well-flavored 
beef,  and  extremely  rich  cream  and  butter. 

"The  climate  of  Scotland  furnishes  a  very  complete  parallel  with  that  of  the  Aleu- 
tian district  of  Alaska.  The  eastern  coast,  defended  from  the  vapors  of  the  Atlantic 
currents  by  its  sheltering  mountains,  is  much  drier,  and  the  extremes  of  temperature 
are  greater  than  on  the  western  coast  and  the  islands,  resembling  the  eastern  part  of 
Cook's  Inlet  in  this  respect,  and  the  interior  of  Alaska  generally. 

"  Veniaminof  states  that  in  Unalaska  the  greatest  number  of  perfectly  clear  days  are 
in  January,  February,  and  June,  and  usually  follow  a  northerly  wind.  The  barometer 
ranges  from  27.415  inches  to  29.437  inches,  and,  on  the  average,  is  highest  in  December 
and  lowest  in  July ;  rising  with  a  north  and  fafling  with  a  south  wind. 

INHABITANTS. 

"  The  inhabitants  of  these  islands  are  the  Aleutes ;  true  Esquimaux  by  descent  but 
altered  by  an  insular  life,  isolated  from  other  tribes,  and  changed  by  long  contact  with 
the  Russians.  They  all  nominally  belong  to  the  Greek  Catholic  faith,  and  practice 
the  rites  of  that  religion.  Many  can  read  and  write  the  ecclesiastical  or  old  Slavonic 
characters,  which  they  have  been  taught  by  the  priests. 

"  They  are  faithful,  docile,  enduring,  hardy,  but  lazy,  phlegmatic,  and  great  drunk- 
ards. They  make  good  sailors  but  poor  farmers,  and  chiefly  occupy  themselves  in  hunt- 
ing and  fishing.  There  are,  perhaps,  in  all,  fifteen  hundred  of  them,  male  and  female  ; 
and  it  can  be  said,  to  their  credit,  that  for  honesty  they  far  surpass  the  majority  of 
civilized  communities. 


VEGETATION. 

"  There  is  no  timber  of  any  kind  larger  than  a  shrub  on  these  islands,  but  there 
does  not  appear  to  be  any  good  reason  why  trees,  if  properly  planted  and  drained, 
should  not  flourish.  A  few  spruces  were,  in  1805,  transplanted  from  Sitka,  or  Kadiak, 
to  Unalaska.  They  lived,  but  were  not  cared  for,  or  the  situation  was  unfavorable, 
as  they  have  increased  very  little  in  size  since  that  time,  according  to  Chamisso. 
The  grasses  in  this  climate,  warmer  than  that  of  the  Youkon  territory  and  drier  than 
the  Sitkau  district,  attain  an  unwonted  luxuriance.  For  example,  Unalaska,*  in  the 
vicinity  of  Captains'  Harbor,  abounds  in  grasses,  with  a  climate  better  adapted  for 
haying  than  that  of  the  coast  of  Oregon.  The  cattle  were  remarkably  fat,  and  the 
beef  very  tender  and  delicate ;  rarely  surpassed  by  any  well-fed  stock.  Milk  was 
abundant.  The  good  and  available  arable  land  lies  chiefly  near  the  coast,  formed  by 
the  meeting  and  mingling  of  the  detritus  from  mountain  and  valley  with  the  sea  sand, 
which  formed  a  remarkably  rich  and  genial  soil,  well  suited  for  garden  and  root  crop 
culture.  It  occurs  to  us  that  many  choice  sunny  hillsides  here  would  produce  good 
crops  under  the  thrifty  hand  of  enterprise.  They  are  already  cleared  for  the  plow. 
Where  grainlike  grasses  grow  and  mature  well,  it  seems  fair  to  infer  that  oats  and 
barley  would  thrive,  provided  they  were  fall-sown,  like  the  native  grasses.  This  is 
abundantly  verified  by  reference  to  the  collections.  Several  of  these  grasses  had 
already  (September)  matured  and  cast  their  seed  before  we  arrived,  showing  sufficient 
length  of  season.  Indeed  no  grain  will  yield  more  than  half  a  crop  of  poor  quality, 
(on  the  Pacific  slope,)  when  spring-sown,  whether  north  or  south. 

*  See  report  of  Dr.  A.  Kellogg  on  the  Botany  of  Alaska,  H.  Ex.  Doc.  177,  40th  Congress,  second  ses- 
sion, page  218. 


REPORT   OF   THE    COMMISSION   ON   INDIAN   AFFAIRS.         153 

"The  Russians  affirm,  with  confirmation  by  later  visitors,  that  potatoes  are  culti- 
vated in  almost  every  Aleutian  village ;  and.  Veniaminof  states  that  at  the  village  in 
Isanotsky  Strait,  they  have  raised  them  and  preserved  the  seed  for  planting,  since  the 
beginning  of  this  century ;  the  inhabitants  of  this  village  by  so  doing  having  escaped 
the  effects  of  several  severe  famines,  which  visited  their  less  provident  and  industrious 
neighbors. 

"Wild  peas  grow  in  great  luxuriance  near  Unalaska  Bay,  and,  according  to  Mr. 
Davidson,  might  be  advantageously  cultivated.  This  species,  the  Lathyru*  maritimus  of 
botanists,  grows  and  flourishes  as  far  north  as  latitude  64°.  The  productions  of  all  the 
islands  to  the  westward  resemble  those  of  Unalaska. 

"  In  September,  says  Dr.  Kellogg,  the  turnips  here  were  large  and  of  excellent  quality ; 
carrots,  parsnips,  and  cabbages  lacked  careful  attention,  but  were  good.  Wild  parsnips 
are  abundant  and  edible  through  all  these  islands. 

"  From  the  reports  of  Dr.  Kellogg  and  others  there  appears  to  be  no  doubt  that  cattle 
can  be  advantageously  kept  in  the  Aleutian  district,  providing  competent  farmers  will 
take  the  matter  in  hand.  Hogs  were  placed  on  one  of  the  islands  near  Chamobpur 
Reef  in  1825,  and  fattened 'on  the  wild  parsnips  and  other  native  plants,  multiplying 
rapidly.  They  were  afterwards  destroyed." 


APPENDIX  R. 

I 
Report  of  a  loard  of  officers  held  at  Sitka,  Alaska,  by  virtue  of  ike  folloiving  order,  viz : 

COURT-MARTIAL  TRIAL  OF  JAMES  C.  PARKER  FOR  THE  MURDER  OF  A  CHILKAHT  INDIAN. 

"  Special  Order  No.  22. 

"  HEADQUARTERS  DEPARTMENT  OF  ALASKA, 

"  Sitka,  Alaska  Territory,  April  I,  1869. 

"A  board  of  officers,  to  consist  of,  first,  Brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel  G.  H.  Weeks,  cap- 
tain and  assistant  quartermaster  United  States  Army ;  second,  Brevet  Major  W.  H. 
Bell,  captain  and  commissary  of  subsistence  United  States  Army ;  third,  Captain  G. 
H.  A.  Dimpfel,  storekeeper  United  States  Army,  will  assemble  at  the  post  of  Sitka  at 
11  o'clock  a.  m.  to-morrow,  the  2d  instant,  or  as  soon  thereafter  as  practicable,  for  the 
purpose  of  investigating  the  circumstances  attending  the  shooting  01  a  Chilkaht  Indian 
at  that  post  on  or  about  the  17th  day  of  March  last. 

"  The  board  will  determine,  if  possible,  the  parties  doing  the  shooting,  all  the  cir- 
cumstance which  led  to  the  same,  and  whether  or  not  the  act  was  j  ustifiable. 

"The  board  will  examine  all  the  witnesses  under  oath,  and  make  a  full  report  in  wri- 
ting to  these  headquarters. 

"  By  command  of  Brevet  Major  General  Davis : 

"SAMUEL  B.  McDsTIRE, 
"  1st  Lieut.  Second  Artillery  and  Brevet  Captain  U.  S.  A.,  A.  A.  A.  G." 

SITKA,  ALASKA  TERRITORY, 

April  2,  1869. 

The  board  met  pursuant  to  the  above  order.  Present :  first,  Brevet  Lieutenant  Col- 
onel G.  H.  Weeks,  captain  and  assistant  quartermaster  United  States  Army  ;  second, 
Brevet  Major  W.  H.  Bell,  captain  and  commissary  of  subsistance  United  States  Army  ; 
third,  Captain  G.  H.  A.  Dimpfel,  military  storekeeper  United  States  Army. 

Brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel  W.  H.  DENNISON,  commanding  post,  called,  who  having 
heard  the  order  convening  the  board  read,  was  duly  sworn. 

By  the  board : 

Question.  State  your  name,  rank,  and  station. — Answer.  William  H.  Denuison,  brevet 
lieutenant  colonel  United  States  Army,  commanding  post  of  Sitka,  Alaska. 

Q.  Please  state  whether  you  know  anything  of  the  circumstances  connected  with 
the  shooting  of  a  Chilkaht  Indian  at  the  post  of  Sitka  on  or  about  the  17th  day  of  March, 
1869.— A.  I  do. 

Q.  Please  state  all  the  circumstances  of  the  case  so  far  as  you  know. — A.  Between 
two  and  three  weeks  ago,  in  the  day,  an  Indian  was  shot  at  this  post.  I  was  in  the 
sutler's  store  at  about  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  Mr.  Parker,  who  is  employed  in 
the  store,  came  in  very  much  excited,  and  asked  Mr.  Southan  where  his  rifle  was.  Mr. 
Southan  asked  Mr.  Parker  to  the  purport  as  to  whether  he  had  seen  the  Indian.  Mr. 
Parker  replied  that  he  had.  While  Mr.  Parker  was  looking  around  for  the  rifle  and 
changing  his  shoes,  Mr.  Southan  told  him  two  or  three  times  not  to  take  the  rifle. 


154          REPORT   OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

Some  one  else  sitting  by  the  stove  told  Mr.  Parker  to  take  the  pistol  instead  of  the  rifle. 
Mr.  Parker  said  the  pistol  was  not  sure  enough ;  "  I  ain  going  to  take  the  rifle  to  bring 
the  Indian  back."  He  took  the  Henry  rifle,  went  out  of  the  front  door,  and  walked  up 
toward  the  Indian  market-house,  and  came  back  in  about  ten  minutes.  Mr.  Southan 
asked  him  if  he  had  gotten  the  Indian.  Mr.  Parker  replied  that  "that  was  a  very  hard 
question  to  ask  a  man."  Sitka  Jack  told  me  during  that  afternoon  that  it  was  a  Chil- 
kaht  that  was  shot. 

Q.  Did  you  hear  the  report  of  the  rifle  ? — A.  I  did  not  hear  the  report  of  the  rifle 
during  the  time  of  Mr.  Parker's  departure  from  the  sutler's  store. 

Q,  Did  you  understand,  from  th«j  tenor  of  Mr.  Parker's  remarks  and  his  manner  in 
the  store,  that  he  intended  killing  the  Indian,  or  that  he  merely  wished  to  use  the 
Henry  rifle  to  intimidate  the  Indian  with,  so  as  to  cause  him  to  come  back  with  him  ? — 
A.  From  Mr.  Parker's  actions  and  language  I  was  under  the  impression  that  he  would 
shoot  the  Indian  if  he  got  an  opportunity. 

Q.  Do  you  know  what  was  the  original  cause  of  Mr.  Parker's  excitement  and  appa- 
rent animosity  against  the  Indian,  which  it  has  been  said  he  was  after  with  the  Henry 
rifle  ? — A.  The  cause,  as  I  understood  it  at  the  time,  was  the  fact  that  the  Indian  hav- 
ing broken  a  glass  in  the  showcase  at  the  sutler's  store. 

Q.  Did  you  leave  the  store  between  the  time  Mr.  Parker  left  the  store  with  the  Henry 
rifle  and  the  time  he  came  back  and  made  the  reply  to  Mr.  Southau's  question  as  to- 
whether  he  (Mr.  Parker)  had  got  the  Indian  or  not  ? — A.  I  did  not. 

Q.  Were  you  in  the  store  when  the  glass  was  broken  in  the  showcase  ? — A.  I  was 
not. 

Q.  Do  you  know  whether  any  one  but  Mr.  Parker  was  after  the  Indian  who  has  been 
reported  to  have  been  shot  ? — A.  None  to  my  knowledge. 

Q.  Did  you  as  commanding  officer  take  action  in  this  case  ;  if  any,  what  ? — A.  I  took 
none  more  than  to  investigate  and  satisfy  myself  that  110  soldier  of  my  command  was 
engaged  in  the  shooting. 

Q.  Was  the  case  ever  reported  officially  to  you ;  if  so,  at  what  time  ? — A.  The  case 
•was  never  reported  to  me  officially. 

Mr.  SOUTHAN  was  called,  who  having  heard  the  order  convening  the  court  read,  was 
duly  sworn. 

Question.  State  your  name,  occupation,  and  residence. — Answer.  T.  K.  Southan,  mer- 
chant, Sitka,  Alaska. 

Q.  Please  state  whether  you  know  anything  of  the  circumstances  connected  with 
the  shooting  of  a  Chilkaht  Indian  at  the  post  of  Sitka  on  or  about  the  17th  of  March, 
1869. — A.  I  do  not ;  I  know  nothing  whatever  about  it. 

Q.  Please  state  if  any  damage  was  done  at  your  store,  on  or  about  March  17,  by  an 
Indian  or  Indians ;  what  such  damage  was,  if  any,  and  the  amount  of  the  same. — A. 
About  that  time  I  was  absent  from  the  store,  and  on  coming  in  was  told  that  an  Indian 
in  attempting  to  steal  had  broken  a  showcase ;  the  actual  damage  to  the  showcase 
was  trifling. 

Q.  Was  any  action  taken  by  you  or  any  of  your  employe's  with  a  view  to  punishment 
of  the  Indian  who  did  this  damage  f — A.  None  by  myself,  nor  none  by  my  employ6s, 
with  a  view  to  punishment,  that  I  am  aware  of. 

Q.  Is  there  a  man  in  your  employ  by  the  name  of  Parker  ? — A.  There  is. 

Q.  Did  Mr.  Parker  ask  you  for  your  Henry  rifle  at  any  time  during  the  day  on  the 
17th  of  March  last,  for  the  purpose  of  going  after  an  Indian  with  it  ? — A.  He  did. 

Q.  What  Indian  did  he  say  this  was  ? — A.  He  said  he  was  in  pursuit  of  the  Indian 
who  had  broken  the  showcase. 

Q.  Did  he,  as  you  understood  it,  take  the  rifle  with  him  for  the  purpose  of  punishing 
the  Indian  when  he  found  him,  or  in  order  to  force  him  by  intimidation  to  come  back 
with  him  ? — A.  I  understood  him  to.  take  the  rifle  for  self-protection  in  making  the 
arrest,  as  he  would  probably  be  compelled  to  go  to  the  village  to  make  the  arrest. 

Q.  Did  Mr.  Parker  take  the  responsibility  of  making  the  arrest  himself,  or  had  he 
instructions  to  do  so. — A.  He  took  the  responsibility  himself. 

Q.  Do  you  know  that  Mr.  Parker  shot  the  Indian  referred  to? — A.  I  do  not. 

Q.  Were  you  out  of  the  store  from  the  time  you  say  yon  came  in  and  were  told 
about  the  showcase,  until  Mr.  Parker  came  back  to  the  store  after  going  away  with 
the  Henry  rifle  ? — A.  I  was  not. 

Q.  Did  Mr.  Parker  tell  you  after  he  came  back,  that  he  had  shot  the  Indian  that  he 
was  after  ? — A.  He  did  not. 

Q.  If  it  was  deemed  proper  to  arrest  this  Indian,  why  was  not  the  military  authority 
called  upon  to  make  the  arrest  ? — A.  I  cannot  answer  the  question.  I  do  not  know. 

Q.  Do  you  recollect  who  were  in  the  store  at  the  time  Mr.  Parker  came  after  the 
rifle  ? — A.  Colonel  Deunison,  and,  I  think,  Charles  Kinkead. 

The  board  adjourned  at  quarter  past  twelve  o'clock  p.  m.,  to  meet  again  at  eleven 
o'clock  a.  m.  to-morrow,  the  3d  instant. 


REPORT   OF   THE    COMMISSION   ON   INDIAN   AFFAIRS.          155 

SITKA,  ALASKA  TERRITORY, 

April  3,  1869—11  o'clock  a.  m. 

The  board  met  pursuant  to  adjournment.  Present :  First,  Brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel 
G.  H.  Weeks,  captain  and  assistant  quartermaster  United  States  Army;  second,  Brevet 
Major  W.  H.  Bell,  captain  and  commissary  subsistence  United  States  Army;  third, 
Captain  G.  H.  A.  Dimpfel,  military  storekeeper  United  States  Army. 

The  proceedings  of  yesterday  having  been  read,  Private  JOHN  McKENZiE,  Company 
F,  Ninth  Infantry,  called,  and  having  heard  the  order  convening  the  board  read,  was 
duly  sworn. 

Question.  State  your  name,  residence,  and  occupation. — Answer.  John  McKenzie, 
Company  F,  Ninth  United  States  Infantry,  Sitka,  Alaska. 

Q.  Do  you  know  anything  of  the  circumstances  connected  with  the  shooting  of  a 
Chilkaht  Indian  on  or  about  the  17th  of  March,  1869  ! — A.  I  don't  know  anything  more 
than  I  saw  a  man  chasing  an  Indian  with  a  gun. 

Q.  State  all  the  circumstances  of  the  case  so  far  as  you  know. — A.  I  saw  a  man  about 
half  a  month  ago,  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon — James  C.  Parker.  I  saw  him 
chase  the  Indian,  and  heard  him  singing  out  to  the  sentinel  to  stop  him,  and  saw  him 
come  back  and  go  up  stairs,  take  his  rifle  and  go  out ;  where  to  I  don't  know. 

Q.  Which  direction  did  Mr.  Parker  take  when  you  saw  him  go  away  with  his  rifle  ? — 
A.  Back  towards  the  garden. 

Q.  Was  any  one  with  Parker  at  this  time? — A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  Where  did  you  next  see  Parker,  and  what  were  you  about  in  the  mean  time  ? — A. 
I  saw  him  about  twenty  minutes  afterward  laying  the  foundation  of  a  kitchen  at  the 
time. 

Q.  Did  you  hear  any  shot  fired  after  you  saw  Mr.  Parker  go  out  with  his  rifle ;  and  if 
so,  in  what  direction  f — A.  I  heard  a  shot  fired ;  I  thought  it  was  outside  the  stockade 
here 

Q.  After  hearing  the  shot,  did  you  see  Mr.  Parker  returning  to  the  store,  and  did  you 
hear  him  make  any  remarks  ? — A.  I  saw  him  return  to  the  store ;  I  heard  him  make  no 
remarks. 

Q.  Did  Mr.  Parker  return  to  the  store  from  the  direction  from  which  the  rifle  was 
fired,  and  from  what  you  could  judge  of  the  distance  from  you  to  where  the  rifle  was 
fired,  did  sufficient  time  elapse  for  Mr.  Parker  to  come  from  there  to  the  store  ? — A. 
Yes,  I  should  judge  so. 

Q.  Did  you  hear  any  expression  of  opinion  from  any  one  as  to  who  shot  the  Indian  ; 
and  if  so,  state  who  told  yon  of  it  ? — A.  I  first  heard  that  a  soldier,  and  then  heard  that 
J.  C.  Parker  shot  the  Indian,  but  can't  tell  who. 

Q.  Have  your  heard  of  any  one  who  saw  the  shot  fired  that  killed  the  Indian? — A.  I 
have  not. 

Private  JOHN  FERRITER,  Battery  H,  Second  Artillery,  called,  who  having  heard  the 
order  convening  the  board  read,  was  duly  sworn. 

Question.  State  your  name,  rank,  and  station. — Answer.  John  Ferriter,  Battery  H, 
Second  United  States  Artillery,  Sitka,  Alaska. 

Q.  State  whether  you  know  anything  of  the  circumstances  connected  with  the  shoot- 
ing of  a  Chilkaht  Indian  at  the  post  of  Sitka  on  or  about  the  17th  of  March,  1869 ;  and  if 
so,  what  are  they? — A.  I  was  sentinel  on  post  over  the  magazine  at  about  four  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon  of  the  17th  of  March  last.  While  I  was  walking  my  post  an  Indian 
ran  past  me  toward  the  stockade,  and  Mr.  Parker,  an  em  ploy  6  of  the  post  trader  of  the 
post  of  Sitka,  who  was  running  after  the  Indian,  called  to  me  to  stop  the  Indian.  I  called 
to  the  Indian  to  stop,  but  he  ran  on,  when  Mr.  Parker  said  let  him  go.  He  then  went  back 
toward  the  store.  Shortly  after  I  heard  two  shots  fired,  apparently  from  the  opposite 
of  the  stockade,  and  in  a  few  moments  saw  Mr.  Parker  coming  from  that  direction.  I 
asked  him  if  he  had  shot  the  Indian.  He  said,  "  O  no,  that  would  not  do."  I  did  not 
see  Mr.  Parker  go  out  with  the  rifle,  but  saw  him  come  back ;  neither  did  I  hear  .any 
one  call  out  after  the  shots.  I  could  not  see  from  my  post  to  where  the  shots  appeared 
to  be  fired. 

ABEL  G.  TRIPP  called,  who  having  heard  the  order  convening  the  board  read,  was 
duly  sworn. 

Question.  State  your  name,  occupation,  and  residence. — Answer.  Abel  G.  Tripp,  car- 
penter, Sitka,  Alaska. 

Q.  State  whether  you  know  anything  of  the  circumstances  connected  with  the  shoot- 
ing of  a  Chilkaht  Indian  at  the  post  of  Sitka  on  or  about  the  17th  of  March,  1809 ;  and  if 
so,  what  are  they  ? — A.  On  or  about  the  17th  of  March  I  was  in  the  sutler's  store  ;  was 
shown  the  showcase,  and  was  told  an  Indian  had  just  broken  it  and  run  out.  I  went 
out,  and  on  returning  toward  the  store,  a  few  minutes  after,  I  saw  Mr.  Parker  going  off 
toward  the  Indian  market  at  a  quick  gait  with  a  gun  on  his  shoulder.  Circumstances 


156  REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION   ON    INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

led  me  to  think  that  he  was  after  the  Indian.  I  was  anxious  to  see  what  the  result 
would  be,  and  went  into  the  store  to  learn,  about  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  afterward.  I 
asked  him,  "  Jim,  did  you  find  him  ?"  He  said  "  yes."  Said  I,  "  Why  didn't  you  bring  him 
in?"  He  replied  "  he  never  did  bring  one  in."  I  asked  him,  "What  did  yon  do  ?"  He 
said,  "  I  gave  him  a  damned  good  kicking."  That  is  all  I  know  about  the  matter. 

A  Chilkaht  Indian,  KATWOUSEKK,  the  brother  of  the  Indian  killed  on  or  about  the  17th 
of  March,  1869,  being  called  made  the  following  statement : 

I  heard  shots  fired  and  went  into  the  sutler's  store  to  find  my  brother,  who  I  sup- 
posed might  be  there,  as  I  wanted  to  purchase  something ;  not  finding  him  there,  I 
went  to  the  Indian  village,  where  I  found  my  brother  lying  in  one  of  the  Indian 
houses,  shot.  He  asked  whether  I  had  met  a  man  with  a  red  beard,  and  carrying  a 
rifle  ?  I  said  I  had.  I  met  him  near  the  store  coming  in  with  a  rifle  on  his  shoulder, 
sweating  very  much  and  blowing  as  if  he  had  been  rumiing  or  had  been  exerting  himself 
very  much.  He  said,  that  is  the  man  who  shot  rne.  This  man  I  recognized  to  be  the  man 
who  is  in  the  sutler's  store,  Mr.  Parker.  I  never  went  to  the  place  where  my  brother 
•was  shot,  as  there  is  a  soldier  on  guard  within  plain  sight,  Avho  I  was  afraid  might 
shoot  me.  My  brother  said  that  the  shots  were  fired  at  him  in  rear  of  the  Greek  church 
on  the  hill  near  the  stockade,  and  that  he  had  come  there  after  having  been  pursued 
by  Mr.  Parker,  before  he  had  any  gun,  to  rest,  and  as  he  was  sitting  on  some  boards 
resting,  Mr.  Parker  came  around  the  end  of  the  church ;  that  he  started  to  run  aud.was 
shot  while  again  attempting  to  escape,  and  was  struck  at  the  first  fire,  the  two  other 
shots  missing.  No  Indians  know  more  than  this,  but  all  of  the  Indians  in  the  village 
know  as  much ;  as  my  brother  told  them  all  about  it  after  he  was  shot.  I  did  not  see 
the  shot  fired  nor  do  I  know  of  any  one  who  did. 

KATEKSATIN,  another  Indian,  corroborated  the  statement  of  Katwouseek. 

Dr.  A.  H.  HOFF,  United  States  Army,  called,  who  having  heard  the  order  convening 
the  board  read,  was  duly  sworn. 

Question.  State  your  name,  rank,  and  station. — Answer.  Alexander  H.  Hoff,  captain 
and  assistant  surgeon  United  States  Army,  Sitka,  Alaska  Territory. 

Q.  Was  there  a  Chilkaht  Indian  brought  to  your  hospital  (hospital  of  the  post  of  Sitka) 
wounded  by  gunshot  some  time  in  the  month  of  March  last  ? — A.  There  was ;  said  to  be 
a  Chilkaht. 

Q.  State  as  nearly  as  you  can  the  date  of  said  admission  of  Indian. — A.  About  the 
18th  of  the  mouth  ;  by  reference  I  can  give  you  the  exact  date. 

Q.  Was  this  the  only  Indian  suffering  from  gunshot  wound  admitted  into  the  hospi- 
tal after  the  17th  day  of  March  last  up  to  the  present  time? — A.  Yes. 

Q.  Did  this  Indian  express  to  you,  through  any  interpreter,  how  he  was  wounded  ? — 
A.  He  did  not. 

Q.  What  became  of  the  wounded  Indian  ? — A.  He  died  on  the  29th  of  March. 

Q.  Did  he  die  from  the  effects  of  the  gxinshot  wound  ? — A.  He  did. 

Question.  Do  you  know  if  this  was  the  Indian  said  to  have  been  shot  at  this  post  on 
or  about  March  17th  ? — A.  Yes  ;  I  heard  an  Indian  had  been  shot  at  this  time  and  sup- 
posed this  to  be  the  one.  , 

Private  ALONZO  RAMSEY,  battery  H,  Second  Artillery,  called,  who,  having  heard  the 
order  convening  the  board  read,  was  duly  sworn. 

Question.  State  your  name,  rank,  and  station. — Answer.  Alonzo  Ramsey,  battery  H, 
Second  Artillery,  Sitka,  Alaska. 

Q.  State  whether  you  know  any  of  the  circumstances  connected  with  the  shoot- 
ing of  a  Chilkaht  Indian  at  the  post  of  Sitka,  on  or  about  the  17th  of  March,  1869 ; 
and  if  so,  what  are  they  ? — A.  Same  day  the  Indian  was  shot,  I  saw  the  Indian  running 
through  the  garden  out  toward  the  magazine.  Parker  was  running  after  him,  or 
appeared  to  be  ;  he  hallooed  to  the  sentinel  at  that  post  to  stop  him.  The  sentinel  did 
not  stop  him,  and  Parker  came  back  to  the  sutler's  store.  The  next  I  saw  of  Parker 
he  was  going  into  the  sutler's  store  ;  the  last  I  saw  Parker  was  outside  the  stockade. 
About  fifteen  minutes  after  he  started  off  from  there  toward  the  lake  ;  he  disappeared 
behind  the  hill  going  in  that  direction ;  a  few  minutes  afterward  I  heard  three  shots 
fired  and  saw  the  smoke. 

Q.  What  called  your  attention  to  Mr.  Parker  outside  of  the  stockade  ? — A.  I  happened 
to  be  looking  over  that  way. 

Q.  WThere  were  you  standing  when  you  lost  sight  of  Parker  and  heard  the  shots  ? — 
A.  I  was  standing  just  outside  of  the  fence,  inside  of  Major  Bell's  kitchen. 

Q.  Was  the  smoke  that  you  saw  to  the  right  or  left  of  the  church  ? — A.  To  the  right 
of  the  church. 

Q.  Did  you  suppose  from  the  direction  of  the  smoke  that  Parker  had  discharged  his 
rifle  ? — A.  Yes,  sir. 


EEPORT   OF   THE   COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN   AFFAIRS.         157 

Q.  Did  yon  see  Parker  coining  back  to  the  post  trader's  after  you  heard  the  shots 
referred  to  ?  —  A.  No,  sir. 

The  board  adjourned  at  a  quarter  past  four  o'clock  p.  m.,  to  meet  again  on  Monday 
the  5th  instant,  at  half  past  ten  o'clock  a.  in. 


KA,  ALASKA  TERRITORY, 

April  5,  1869—10.30  o'clock  a.  in. 

The  board  met  pursuant  to  adjournment.  Present  :  1st.  Brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel 
G.  H.  Weeks,  captain  and  assistant  quartermaster  United  States  Army  ;  2d.  Brevet 
Major  W.  H.  Bell,  captain  and  commissary  subsistence  United  States  Army  ;  3d.  Captain 
G.  H.  A.  Dimpfel,  military  storekeeper  United  States  Army. 

The  proceedings  of  Saturday,  April  3,  1869,  having  been  read,  Mr.  CHARLES  KINKEAD 
called,  who  having  heard  the  order  convening  the  board  read,  \vas  duly  sworn  : 

Question.  State  your  name,  eccupation,  and  residence.  —  Answer.  C.  A.  Kinkead,  mer- 
chant, Sitka,  Alaska. 

Q.  Do  you  know  whether  there  was  a  showcase  broken  by  an  Indian  in  the  sutler's 
store  of  the  post  of  Sitka  on  or  about  the  17th  day  of  March  last  ?  —  A.  I  do. 

Q.  Was  it  in  your  opinion  broken  accidentally,  or  for  the  purpose  of  stealing  from  it  ?  — 
A.  It  was  evidently  broken  intentionally,  as  an  iron  bar  was  sticking  in  it,  inserted 
between  the  wood  and  glass,  and  it  must  have  taken  some  time  to  work  at  it  and  break 
it. 

Q.  Do  you  know  if  it  was  done  by  the  Indian  who  was  afterward  shot  on  the  same 
day?  —  A.  No  ;  I  can't  tell  you  that. 
The  investigation  here  closed. 

After  a  careful  examination  of  the  witnesses  who  have  been  called  before  tho  board, 
the  board  has  not  been  able  to  determine,  further  than  through  the  inferences  of  cir- 
cumstantial evidence,  who  shot  the  Chilkaht  Indian  referred  to  in  Special  Order  No.  22, 
Headquarters  Department  of  Alaska,  April  1,  1869. 

This  circumstantial  evidence  points  to  an  employe"  of  the  post  trader,  Mr.  Parker,  as 
the  person  who  did  the  shooting  ;  the  breaking  of  a  showcase  for  the  purpose  of  stealing 
being,  as  far  as  the  board  can  deternme,  the  circumstance  which  led  to  the  shooting, 
and  the  board  is  of  the  opinion  that  if  there  were  no  more  reasons  for  shooting  than 
those  brought  out  in  evidence,  that  the  act  was  not  justifiable. 

GEO.  H.  WEEKS, 

Bvt.  Lieut.  Col.  and  Ass't  Quartermaster  U.  S.  A. 
W.  H.  BELL, 

Bvt.  Maj.  and  C.  S.  U.  S.  A. 
GEO.  H.  A.  DIMPFEL, 
Captain  and  M.  S.  K.  U.  S.  A. 

There  being  no  further  business  before  it,  the  board  adjourned  sine  die. 

GEO.  H.  WEEKS, 

Bvt.  Lieut.  Col.  and  Ass't  Quartermaster  U.  S.  A. 
W.  H.  BELL, 

Bvt.  Maj.  and  C.  S.  U.  S.  A. 
G.  H.  A.  DIMPFEL, 

Captain  and  M.  S.  K. 


APPENDIX  S. 
UNRELIABILITY  OF  THE  CHARTS  OF  THE  SEAS  OF  ALASKA. 

OX  BOARD  THE  STEAMER  NEWBERX, 

MERRY  ISLAND,  ALASKA  TERRITORY, 

November  1,  1869. 

SIR  :  I  find  you  using  charts  of  three  different  nationalities  for  your  guidance  on  the 
coast  of  Alaska  :  American,  English,  and  Russian. 

Which  of  these  three  is  the  most  reliable  ?  Answer.  The  English,  though  these  are 
taken  from  Vancouver's  survey  and  from  the  Russian  charts. 

I  have  an  American  chart  issued  from  the  Hydrographic  Office  of  Washington,  called 
sheet  No.  2,  published  in  1868,  purporting  to  be  "  from  the  most  recent  British  and 
American  surveys,"  but  I  find  it  to  be  incorrect,  as  for  example :  in  latitude  59°  26', 
longitude  146°  <05'  west,  there  is  an  island  named  "Middletou"  on  the  English  Admiralty 
chart  of  the  Arctic  Ocean  published  in  1853,  and  on  the  Russian  chart,  published  in 
1847,  which  is  wholly  omitted  on  the  American  chart ;  the  island  is  about  ten  miles 
long  and  five  miles  wide,  and  lay  directly  in  our  course  from  an  anchorage  south  of 
Montague  Island  to  Cape  Edgecombe,  Sitka  Harbor.  On  my  recent  voyage  if  I  had 


158  REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

had  the  corresponding  sheet,  with  Sitka  011  it,  I  should  have  used  the  American  chart, 
thinking  it  was  published  officially  by  my  government  in  1868  it  was  to  be  relied  on. 
If  I  had  done  so  I  should  have  lost  the  vessel,  as  the  island  lays  low  and  the  night 
•was  dark. 

Queston.  Are  the  Russian  or  English  charts  sufficiently  accurate  for  safe  navigation 
in  these  seas?  Answer.  They  are  not  as  accurate  as  other  charts  on  well-surveyed 
coasts.  With  caution  they  can  be  used  successfully.  The  English  charts  are  chiefly 
taken  from  Vancouver's  survey  in  1792.  corrected  from  the  Russian  charts. 

W.  FREEMAN,  Jit., 

Commanding  U.  S.  Quartermaster  Steamer  Newbern. 
W.  FREEMAN,  JR., 

Captain  U.  S.  Quartermaster  Steamer  Neicbern. 


APPENDIX  T. 

THE   RESOURCES  OF  ALASKA. 

The  Hon.  William  S.  Dodge,  ex-mayor  of  Sitka,  said  in  a  recent  speech  delivered  by 
him  at  that  place  :  It  is  a  needless  task  to  detail  or  expatiate  on  the  resources  of  Alaska, 
either  in  its  minerals,  fisheries,  furs,  or  timber.  It  is  enough  to  say  that  the  whole 
Territory  is  one  vast  forest  of  yellow  cedar,  pine,  hemlock,  and  spruce,  the  greatest 
portion  of  largest  growth,  and  almost  everywhere  accessible  for  commercial  purposes. 
The  fur  trade  alone  has  been  for  more  than  half  a  century  a  prolific  source  of  wealth 
to  the  Russian-American  Company,  and  its  importance  is  now  more  than  ever  manifest 
when  we  remember  the  fact  that  upward  of  fifty  vessels  have  been  engaged  in  it  the 
present  year.  And  it  is  still  more  manifest  when  we  recall  the  excitement  which  has 
agitated  the  people  of  San  Francisco,  through  its  board  of  trade,  and  Congress,  in  con- 
tentions which  have  arisen  ont  of  the  protective  legislation  to  be  given  the  fur-seal 
interests  on  the  islands  of  St.  Paul  and  St.  George.  The  commerce  in  this  source  of 
revenue  alone  is  estimated  from  two  hundred  to  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  a  year. 

The  fisheries  are  immense.  Nowhere  on  the  face  of  the  globe  are  they  excelled  in 
number,  A'ariety,  or  quality.  The  fiords  of  Norway,  the  banks  of  Newfoundland,  or  the 
shores  of  Labrador  oifer  no  comparison.  Those  great  staples  of  commerce  and  main- 
stays of  subsistence,  the  cod,  the  halibut,  the  salmon,  and  the  herring,  are  on  this  coast 
myriads.  The  fishing  stations  already  established  in  this  Territory,  the  immense  quan- 
tities caught  by  the  Russians  and  the  Indians,  demonstrate  how  abundant  is  the  sal- 
mon. And  lately  additional  testimony  comes  to  us  from  numerous  persons  affirming 
as  solemn  truth  that  at  Cook's  Inlet  the  salmon  average  in  weight  sixty  pounds,  and 
many  of  them  weigh  one  hundred  and  twenty  pounds.  From  two  to  four  fill  a  barrel. 
And  Mr.  T.  G.  Murphy  only  last  week  brought  down  from  there  on  the  Newbern  a 
barrel  full,  containing  only  four.  This  must  satisfy  the  most  incredulous. 

San  Francisco,  the  great  metropolis  of  the  Pacific  coast,  imitating  New  York,  has 
become  Argus-eyed  and  Briarian-armed,  and  is  rapidly  drawing  into  itself  the  wealth 
of  this  Territory.  Her  capitalists  are  already  engaged  in  the  ice  and  fur  trades.  This 
present  season  she  has  had  more  than  fifty  fishing  boats  off  Behring  Straits  in  the 
cod  fishery,  and  all  of  them  have  returned  home  or  to  the  Sandwich  Islands,  loaded 
down.  So  plenty  are  they  that  three  and  four  are  often  caught  on  one  hook.  The 
halibut  and  the  hen-ing  fisheries  have  not  been  entered  into ;  but  the  testimony  of 
their  prolificness  is  ample,  and  the  statements  made  by  reliable  men  are  astonishing. 
And  speaking  of  the  cod  fisheries,  one  fact  is  important  to  be  remembered.  The  banks 
extending  all  along  the  coast  from  Kadiak-to  Behring  Straits  and  to  the  frozen  ocean  are 
shallow  as  compared  with  those  of  Newfoundland,  the  water  on  the  Alaska  banks  aver- 
aging only  irom  twrenty  to  fifty  fathoms,  while  those  of  the  former  average  from  sixty  to 
one  hundred  and  twenty  fathoms.  And  here  is  another  fact,  just  reported  to  me,  which 
I  cannot  forbear  mentioning.  At  Kadiak,  Henry  Richard  and  Thomas  Bache,  fishermen, 
caught  alone,  with  hook  and  line,  within  the  last  six  months,  twenty-two  thousand 
cod.  This  statement  is  undeniable,  and  it  speaks  a  volume.  And  now  I  dismiss  this 
branch  of  the  subject,  remarking  merely  that  the  whole  coast  of  Alaska  to  Portland 
Canal  in  the  south  to  the  Polar  Ocean  in  the  north,  embracing,  including  the  islands, 
twenty-six  thousand  miles  of  sea  frontage,  is  one  grand  reservoir  of  fish,  sufficient  to 
employ  thousands  of  men  in  supplying  the  demand  constantly  growing,  and  soon  to 
increase  immensely,  by  the  peopling  ot  Washington  Territory,  Oregon,  and  California, 
and  the  embryo  States  now  upbuilding  all  along  the  great  continental  highway,  from 
the  west  to  the  east,  as  well  as  the  Sandwich  Islands,  China,  and  Japan. 

Of  minerals,  I  can  only  say  that,  from  the  earliest  history  of  this  Territory  to  the 
present  day,  the  existence  of  gold,  silver,  copper,  iron,  marble  and  coal  has  been  con- 
stantly attested.  We  have  the  undeniable  authority  of  eminent  scientific  officials  and 
the  statements  of  strangers  temporarily  visiting  this  coast. 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 


159 


Since  the  Territory  has  been  within  American  jurisdiction,  we  have  occnlar  proof  of 
the  existence  of  all  these  minerals,  and  that,  too,  in  almost  every  part  of  the  country. 
Close  to  Sitka  are  mountains  of  marble,  and  good  specimens  of  cinnabar  have  been 
found  here.  Back  of  Sitka,  at  Kake  and  Kootznov,  are  coal  mines,  no  one  knows  how 
extensive.  At  Tarkow  andChilkaht  the  coal  crops  out  in  abundance,  and  to  the  west- 
ward of  Sitka  it  is  the  testimony  of  all  the  traders  that  coal  can  be  found  almost  at 
any  place  one  chooses  to  land. 

Almost  every  week  miners  or  Indians  bring  in  samples  of  gold.  It  has  come  from 
Prince  William's  Land,  the  Stikine,  the  Chilkaht}  the  Tarkow,  and  the  Copper  rivers, 
and  from  Cook's  Inlet  and  Keneiy. 

Professor  Davidson,  of  the  Coast  Survey,  while  at  Chilkaht  making  observations  of  the 
eclipse,  on  the  7th  of  last  August,  found  that  the  needle  to  his  compass  pointed  con- 
stantly wrong,  and  soon  learned  the  fact  that  he  was  near  a  mountain  of  iron  some  two 
thousand  feet  high,  which  attracted  the  magnet  wherever  used,  from  its  base  to  sum- 
mit. And  a  further  examination  showed  that  this  mountain  was  only  one  of  a  range 
similar  in  character,  and  extending  fully  thirty  miles ;  and,  as  if  nature  had  anticipated, 
its  uses  to  man,  a  coal  mine  was  found  near  by. 

And  so  I  might  continue,  but  I  must  hasten  to  a  close.  However,  before  leaving 
this  portion  of  my  remarks,  I  desire  to  give  you  an  exhibit  of  our  commerce  since  the 
18th  of  October,  1867,  as  furnished  by  the  custom  authorities  at  this  port.  You  will  re- 
member that  it  does  not  by  any  means  give  a  full  statement,  as,  since  the  passage  of  the 
custom  act  of  July  23,  1868,  vessels  bound  to  the  westward  have  been  permitted  to  clear 
direct  from  ports  below,  to  Kadiak,  Cook's  Inlet,  and  Unalaska.  Therefore,  a  traffic 
very  considerable  in  value  is  omitted. 

Number  of  vessels  arrived  from  dale  of  cession  to  August  6,  18f>9. 


From  — 

Vessels. 

% 

Tons. 

28 

4  495 

Portland,  Oregon  

2 

390 

Port  Townsend  

2 

48 

San  Francisco          .-         

33 

6  726 

3 

828 

Asiatic  coast  

3 

852 

Total  

71 

13  339 

Number  of  vessels  cleared  from  date  of  cession  to  August  6,  1869. 


For— 

Vessels. 

Tons. 

Tictoria.  British  Columbia  

26 

6  778 

San  Francisco  

25 

8  939 

London  

2 

2  638 

Port  Townsend  

5 

2  170 

Portland,  Oregon  

2 

391 

Asiatic  coast  

5 

941 

Whaling  

2 

514 

Total  

67 

22,  371 

Imports,  from  October,  1867,  to  August,  1869,  $34,672  99.  Exports,  same  time,  $582,756  32. 
Furs  exported,  as  near  as  can  be  ascertained,  $450,000. 

The  records  of  the  custom-house  show  that  more  than  three-fourths  of  this  commerce 
transpired  during  the  first  year  of  our  occupation  of  the  country. 


APPENDIX  U. 

The  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  San  Francisco  on  the  fur-seal  and  other  commercial  interests  in 

Alaska  Territory. 

The  Chamber  met  last  evening  in  their  room  in  the  Merchants'  Exchange  building. 

President  Otis  in  the  chair. 

Mr.  Wise,  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  the  Alaska  Fur  Trade,  reported  as  follows : 
"  The  committee  appointed  by  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  on  the  17th  of  February,  1869, 

to  consider  what  legislation  by  Congress  is  necessary  to  protect  the  fur-seal  trade  of  the 


160          EEPOET    OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON   INDIAN   AFFAIRS. 

islands  within  the  Territory  of  Alaska,  have  had  the  same  under  consideration,  and  beg 
leave  to  submit  the  following  report : 

"  Your  committee  find  that  the  Russian- American  Fur  Company  reported  to  have  taken, 
during  the  years  1866  and  1867,  from  the  islands  of  Uualaska,  Omega,  St.  Michael, 
Atkha,  Alton,  Kadiak,  and  Cook's  Inlet,  7,970  muskrats,  558  lynx,  6,738  martens,  226 
bears,  18,476  beavers,  6,738  foxes,  2,765  land  otters,  and  3,905  sea-otters,  which  we  have 
valued  at  $350,000.  They  took  from  the  islands  of  St.  Paul  and  St.  George  137,943  fur- 
seals  and  3,657  foxes,  which  we  have  also  valued  at  $900,000,  based  upon  the  admission 
of  those  who  are  largely  interested  in  the  fur  trade,  and  upon  the  recent  sales  in  the 
European  markets.  We  find,  then,  the  total  value  of  the  furs  taken  by  the  Russian- 
American  Fur  Company  from  the  islands  named  during  the  years  1866  and  1867  to  be 
$1,250,000,  an  annual  average  of  $625,000;  besides,  the  se#l  oil,  in  the  opinion  of  your 
committee,  is  worth,  at  the  very  lowest  estimate,  $75,000  per  annum  after  leaving  seals 
enough  to  supply  food  for  the  natives,  to  say  nothing  about  the  very  rich  fertilizing 
deposits  from  the  decomposed  bones  and  flesh  of  the  seals  for  more  than  forty  years. 

"We  have  been  informed  by  more  disinterested  testimony  that  these  furs  are  worth 
more  money,  but  we  have  been  guided  by  those  who  are  interested,  and  you  will  ob- 
serve that,  under  the  most  favorable  aspect,  this  is  a  very  important  trade,  which  can 
doubtless  be  increased  under  American  enterprise  and  fair  competition  without  dimin- 
ishing the  number  of  the  fur-bearing  animals. 

"  The  fur  trade  is  the  only  wealth  of  the  country  at  present  available,  and  should, 
therefore,  be  carefully  guarded,  and  left  open  to  all  American  vessels,  under  proper  re- 
strictions, to  encourage  the  development  of  other  interests.  The  fisheries,  for  instance, 
are  very  extensive,  and  a  voyage  for  furs,  if  unsuccessful,  might  prove  profitable  on  the 
fishing  banks.  The  fur  trade  is  the  stimulant  to  go  there,  and  once  there  other  inter- 
ests would  attract  attention.  But  without  some  inducement  ship-masters  would  hardly 
undertake  the  hazards  of  such  a  tedious  voyage,  and  often  a  very  perilous  one. 

"The  protection  of  the  fur-seals  and  other  fur-bearing  animals  can  be  afforded,  with- 
out any  such  monopoly  as  is  proposed  by  the  bill  reported  to  have  passed  Congress. 

"  So  far  as  we  have  been  able  to  learn,  fur-seals  only  require  special  protection,  though 
Borne  provision  is  necessary  to  prevent  the  use  of  fire-arms  in  taking  sea-otters,  and  to 
define  the  seasons  for  taking  any  and  all  fur-bearing  animals.  Fire-arms  must  not  bo 
used  either  in  killing  seals,  for  they  will  leave  and  not  return ;  nor  will  it  do  to  kill 
them  near  their  rookeries,  where  the  carcass  would  be  exposed,  for  the  same  result 
would  follow.  They  must  be  driven  in  the  cool  of  the  evening  to  the  interior,  and 
taken  with  clubs  the  following  morning,  with  as  little  noise  as  possible. 

"  The  seals  arrive  at  the  islands  early  in  the  spring,  and  should  not  be  interfered  with 
until  the  end  of  the  breeding  season — the  last  of  summer  or  the  beginning  of  fall. 
The  sealing  season  should,  therefore,  commence  in  September,  and  continue  until  they 
leave,  early  in  November.  The  only  legislation,  therefore,  necessary  is  to  define  the  mouths 
in  which  seals  may  be  taken,  to  prohibit  the  use  of  fire-arms  on  the  islands  or  upon 
the  waters  adjacent,  and  to  prohibit  the  killing  of  females  at  any  season  of  the  year 
and  the  young  under  one  year  old. 

"  With  such  good  regulations  and  restrictions  we  can  see  no  good  reason  for  limiting 
the  number  of  seals  that  may  be  taken  annually  to  one  hundred  thousand,  (100,000,)  as 
proposed.  The  limit  creates  a  monopoly,  which  appears  to  be  the  object  of  the  bill 
alluded  to.  If  more  than  one  hundred  thousand  (100,000)  males  over  one  year  old  can  be 
taken,  why  not  allow  it,  for  we  cannot  see  how  it  would  diminish  the  seals.  Besides, 
it  is  much  easier  to  enforce  a  law  protecting  the  young  and  the  females  with  compe- 
tition than  without  it.'  An  inspector,  with  only  one  company  to  deal  with,  would  be 
less  apt  to  attend  strictly  to  his  duties  than  if  he  had  the  eye  of  a  large  fleet  of  vessels 
upon  him.  If  competition  were  allowed,  all  would  be  interested  in  having  the  law 
complied  with ;  but,  monopolize  the  trade,  and  every  vessel  not  interested,  visiting 
those  waters,  would  have  to  be  watched,  which  would  be  almost  impossible,  and  would 
use  ill-got  means,  if  any  opportunity  oifered,  of  taking  furs  without  sparing  either  the 
young  or  the  females.  If  there  were  no  opportunity,  how  easy  it  would  be  to  fire  guns 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  islands  to  frighten  away  the  seals ;  and  who  doubts  the  result  ? 

"The  seals  originally  frequented  the  islands  of  Behring  and  Copper,  still  under  the 
jurisdiction  of  Russia,  and  were  driven  from  them  to  the  islands  of  St.  Paul  aud  St. 
George  by  some  such  action  as  we  have  indicated,  and  might  returu  or  go  elsewhere  if 
disturbed  in  their  present  rookeries. 

"The  bill  before  Congress  (reported  to  have  become  a  law)  prohibits  the  use  of  fire- 
arms, and  killing  females,  and  males  less  than  one  year  old,  under  regulations  to  be 
made  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury.  But  it  provides  that  the  Secretary  shall  divide 
the  island  of  St.  Paul  into  three  sections  and  St.  George  into  one  section,  and  that  the 
exclusive  right  of  taking  seals  from  either  section  for  a  term  of  years  shall  be  sold  to 
the  highest  bidder,  designating,  too,  what  class  of  bidders  shall  have  the  rights  to  com- 
pete for  this  trade,  viz :  managing  owners  of  American  vessels,  and  only  those  whom 
the  Secretary  may  deem  competent  to  fulfill  their  engagements.  Now,  it  is  well  known 
that  there  are  four  organized  companies,  and  that  one  or  all  of  them  have  made  con- 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS.          161 

tracts  with  the  natives  for  a  period  of  three  years.  The  Secretary  would  be  virtually 
limited,  umler  the  terms  of  the  bill,  to  consider  their  bids,  because  they  would  be 
deemed  more  competent  to  carry  out  their  contracts. 

"We  have  ascertained,  however,  that  Americans  can  easily  learn  in  a  very  short  time 
how  to  take  seals  as  well  as  the  natives  ;  but  if  the  bill  in  question  becomes  a  law,  the 
Secretary  would  very  likely  look  to  existing  contracts  with  the  natives,  and  an  act  of 
Congress  would  virtually  give  the  monopoly  of  the  fur  trade  of  the  islands  of  Alaska 
to  a  single  company,  or,  what  we  rather  suspect,  four  companies  in  combination.  The 
effect  would  be  to  render  the  trade  of  no  value  to  San  Francisco  or  any  other  American 
port.  It  would  give  a  few  individuals  the  control  of  the  market  of  furs  who  could,  at 
pleasure,  increase  the  cost  to  consumers. 

"The  manufacturing  monopoly  has  heretofore  been  enjoyed  by  parties  in  England, 
through  a  permanent  arrangement  made  many  years  ago  with  the  Russian-American 
Fur  Company,  to  purchase  all  their  fur-seal  skins  taken  from  year  to  year.  This  same 
condition  would  very  likely  continue  with  the  lessees  of  the  government,  both  on 
account  of  their  superior  skill  in  manufacturing,  acquired  by  long  experience  through 
the  arrangement  alluded  to,  and  because  monopolists  can  afford  to  pay  a  higher  price 
for  the  skins.  The  skins  would  then,  in  all  likelihood,  be  shipped  directly  to  England 
or  to  this  port  only  in  transit,  and  no  opportunity  offered  to  the  enterprise  and  skill  of 
our  citizens  to  engage  in  the  manufacture  of  such  luxuries,  upon  which  enormous  profit* 
are  always  realized.  We  must  submit  to  have  them  exported  and  to  pay  foreign  labor 
a  large  profit  upon  all  we  consume. 

"  We  have  been  told  that  we  have  not  the  skill  to  manufacture  fur-seal  skins  in  this 
country,  which  can  only  be  exported  to  find  a  market.  The  fact  is,  we  have  had  no 
opportunity  to  acquire  skill  during  the  monopoly  enjoyed  in  England  through  the  ar- 
rangement with  the  Russian-American  Fur  Company.  The  same  result  will  again  fol- 
low if  the  government  leases  the  islands,  and  no  market  will  be  found  in  the  United 
States,  and  we  will  be  obliged  to  import  manufactured  furs  from  England  at  a  heavy 
cost  and  expense,  besides  the  addition  of  our  import  duty. 

"  View  this  as  we  may,  we  must  feel  the  ill  effects  of  such  a  policy ;  and  for  what  pur- 
pose ?  To  enrich  a  few  and  keep  back  the  development  of  the  country  for  an  indefinite 
period.  The  only  inducement  now  to  go  there  is  the  interest  in  question  ;  and,  if  open 
to  competition,  many  vessels  will  be  fitted  out  at  this  and  other  ports,  and  the  furs  in 
return  exposed  for  sale  in  our  home  markets,  and  eventually  the  entire  and  very  im- 
portant trade  of  that  country  will  be  enjoyed  by  our  own  citizens.  We  are,  therefore, 
deeply  interested  in  securing  the  passage  of  a  law  allowing  public  competition,  which 
can  be  done  under  instructions  amply  protecting  the  seals. 

'•The  Territory  of  Alaska  was  acquired  by  purchase  at  a  cost  of  $7.000,000  to  the  fed- 
eral government,  and  we  do  not  deem  it  just  to  our  citizens  generally  to  give  a  single 
company,  or  any  number  of  companies,  the  control  of  this  trade,  valued  at  $700,000 
annually,  which,  in  our  judgment,  can  easily  be  increased  double  the  amount.  This 
trade  is  really  the  key  to  the  whole  country,  and  controls  the  fur  trade  on  the  main- 
land, which  is  also  very  valuable,  and  about  which  we  have  said  nothing.  The  object 
of  our  government  should  be  to  develop  the  country,  and  to  encourage  our  citizens  to 
go  there,  by  all  means  in  its  power;  and  the  unrestricted  competition  in  this  trade  would 
best  promote  that  object;  any  other  policy  would  retard  or  prevent  all  enterprises  con- 
nected with  Alaska.  We  recommend,  then,  the  abolition  of  all  restrictions  not  neces- 
sary to  protect  the  young  and  the  female  seals ;  and  with  this  end  in  view  we  submit, 
as  a  part  of  this  report,  the  draught  of  a  bill  which  will  afford  ample  protection — at  the 
same  time  open  trade  to  American  enterprise  and  industry. 

"  We  regret,  in  conclusion,  that  our  limited  time  would  not  allow  an  extended  inquiry 
into  the.  undeveloped  resources  of  Alaska;  though,  from  the  incidental  knowledge 
which  we  have  acquired  in  our  investigations  relative  to  the  fur  trade  of  our  islands, 
we  are  persuaded  that  its  resources  are  far  more  extensive  and  important  than  gener- 
ally believed.  We  think  that  the  government  ought  to  extend  its  aid  to  encourage 
emigration  ;  and  we  therefore  recommend  the  Chamber  to  evoke  Congress  to  establish, 
at  an  early  day,  a  territorial  government  over  that  country.  And  we  would  also  ad- 
vise the  appointment  of  another  committee  to  collect  information,  and  to  report  as  soon 
as  convenient,  for  the  purpose  of  attracting  public  attention  to  a  territory  which,  if 
properly  developed,  will  prove  to  be  a  very  valuable  acquisition." 

The  report  is  signed  by  the  committee,  consisting  of  J.  H.  Wise,  C.  T.  Fay,  L.  Ever- 
diug,  1.  P.  Rankin,  and  Washington  Bartlett.  The  report  was  received  and  the  com- 
mittee discharged. 

11 


162  REPORT    OF    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 

APPENDIX  V. 

THB    FUR   TRADE   AT  SAN   FRANCISCO,    CALIFORNIA. 

SAN  FRANCISCO,  CAI,.,  October  21,  18i>9. 

DEAR  SIR:  In  reply  to  your  note,  with  inclosed  letter  from  the  Hon.  George  S.  Bout- 
well,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  at  Washington,  I  will  try  and  jjive  you  full  and  reliable 
information  on  the  srrbject,  to  the  best  of  my  knowledge  and  belief. 

The  collection  of  furs  at  Alaska  and  the  Aleutian  Islands  so  far  has  been  very  lim- 
ited, on  account  of  the  scarcity  of  population  —  the  necessities  of  the  natives  being  few 
and  easily  supplied.  This  immense  territory,  extending  from  (the  56th  to  the  76th  par- 
allel) Fort  Wrangel  to  Kotzebue  Sound,  is  so  full  of  fur-bearing  animals  that,  in  the 
course  of  a  few  short  years,  an  enterprising  white  population  will  find  profitable  em- 
ployment in  developing  its  great  and,  at  the  present,  unknown  wealth.  The  fur  trade 
of  this  territory,  when  properly  prosecuted  by  competent  parties,  will  yield  boundless 
wealth,  and  will  amount  to  millions  upon  millions  in  the  aggregate,  increasing  from 
year  to  year. 

Answer  to  question  No.  1.  —  a.  Fur  seals  salted  at  St.  George's  and  St.  Paul's  islands  have 
been  entirely  under  the  control  of  Messrs.  Hutchiusou,  Kohl  &  Co.  (A  very  limited 
number  came  down  in  the  hands  of  other  traders.)  They,  Hutehinson,  Kohl  &  Co., 
paying  to  the  natives  twenty  to  forty  cents  per  skin  in  trade  —  that  is,  in  groceries  and 
provisions.  The  season  1869,  no  definite  price  can  be  quoted.  Outside  traders  are 
excluded  from  these  islands;  the  only  parties  permitted  on  these  islands  are  the  said 
Hutehinson,  Kohl  &  Co.  and  Williams,  Havens  &  Co. 

b.  Sea  otter  are  paid  for  in  trade,  (groceries,  provisions,  &c.,  at  the  traders'  prices,) 
at  from  twenty,  thirty,  and  in  some  instances  forty,  dollars,  per  skin. 

Answer  to  question  No.  2.  —  a.  Fur-seals  —  proper  classification:  wigs,  middlings, 
emails,  large  pups,  middling  pups,  small  pups  —  are  not  bought  or  sold  in  San  Fran- 
cisco as  per  classification,  but  in  bulk  or  lot  at  so  much  per  skin,  on  an  average. 
This  classification  is  for  shipping,  none  being  manufactured  here. 

b.  Sea  otter  —  proper  classification:  large  prime,  silver-pointed,  $40,  $50,  and  $60 
per  skin,  gold  prices;  large  prime,  without  silver  points,  $35  and  $40  per  skin, 
gold  prices;  middlings,  $80  and  $25  per  skin,  gold  prices;  good  cubs,  $15  and  $20  por 
skin,  gold  prices;  pups,  35  to  50  cents  per  akin,  gold  prices  —  for  shipping  purposes 
entirely,  none  being  used  here. 

Answer  to  question  No.  3.  —  a.  Fur-seals  —  prices  realized  at  London,  the  only  market 
for  fur  seals:  wigs,  about  40  shillings  sterling  per  skin;  middlings,  36  to  40  shillings 
sterling  per  skin  ;  smalls,  30  to  33  shillings  sterling  per  skin  ;  large  pups,  25  to  30 
shillings  sterling  per  skin  ;  small  pups,  15  to  20  shillings  sterling  per  skin  ;  averager 
of  different  shipments,  20,  21  to  29  shillings  6  pence  sterling,  being  the  highest  prices 
paid  in  London. 

Exportation  from  1868  to  1869. 

Shipped  by  Hutchinson,  Kohl  &  Co.  to  London  ...........................  190,  000 

Shipped  by  Williams,  Havens  &  Co.  to  London,  via  Honolulu  and  Bremen.  41,000 

Shipped  by  Captain  R.  Waterman  to  London  .............................  10,  000 

Shipped  by  Adolph  Miiller  &  E.  S.  Tibbey  to  London  ......................  10,  100 

Shipped  by  A.  Waterman  &  Co.  to  London  ................................  11,  000 

Shipped  by  Adolph  Miiller  to  London  .....................................  1,  600 

Shipped  by  Russian-American  Ice  Co.  to  London  ...........................  700 


Shipped  by  Hutchinson,  Kohl  &  Co.  to  London,  ta  were  2'  50° 

Shipped  by  CaptainBurnsto  London,  \  fhippef  Oct"  14^86™  \        *'  ^ 

Total  shipment  from  this  port  ..............  ...  ......................     269,  400 


Dry  fur-seals  from  Cape  Flattery  are  full  as  good  as  those  from  St.  Paul's  and  St. 
George's  islands,  and  were  bought  here  at  $4,  $4  50,  $5,  gold  coin. 

N.  B. — Fur-seals  have  since  declined  in  Europe  considerably,  15  shillings  sterling 
being  the  outside  limit  for  buying. 

b.  ILL  March,  1869,  548  sea  otter  were  sold  and  realized  at  the  London  sales,  on  an  av- 
erage, $35  gold  coin  per  skin.  In  September,  same  year,  1,065  sea-otter  skins  were 
offered  for  sale,  but  most  of  them  were  withdrawn  on  account  of  the  low  prices  ruling. 
Sea  otter  are  very  low  at  present ;  $20  to  $25,  gold,  per  skin  is  already  a  large  price  to 
pay  for  it.  The  Old  Russian  Fur  Company  have  sold  the  balance  of  sea-otter  on  hand 
(7,000  skins)  at  St.  Petersburg,  and  in  consequence  the  Russian  government  has  enacted 
a  law  prohibiting  the  importation  of  sea  otters ;  hence  the  decline  in  London  and  Leip- 
zig. Since  the  above-mentioned,  time  750  sea  otter  have  arrived  by  the  steamer  Alex- 
ander, and  also  150  more  in  the  hands  of  othei-s,  all  to  be  shipped  to  London  and 
Leipzig. 


REPORT    OP    THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS.          163 

c.  General  assortment  of  furs  from  Alaska  and  the  Aleutian  islands  : 

Average  value  per  skin  in 
San  Francisco,  in  gold. 

Beaver,  very  few  manufactured  here,  most  all  sent  to  Europe r .  $1  00  to  $2  00 

Marten,  very  few  manufactured  here,  most  all  sent  to  Europe 2  00  to    6  00 

Mink,  very  few  manufactured  here,  most  all  sent  to  Europe 1  00  to    1  50 

Lynx,  very  few  manufactured  here,  most  all  sent  to  Europe 1  00  to    1  50 

Bears,  very  few  manufactured  here,  most  all  sent  to  Europe 3  00  to    6  00 

White  fox,  very  few  manufactured  here,  most  all  sent  to  Europe 1  00  to    2  00 

Land  otter,  all  shipped  to  Europe 1  00  to    3  50 

Fisher,  all  shipped  to  Europe 2  00  to    4  00 

Silver  fox,  all  shipped  to  Europe : 5  00  to  25  00 

Cross  fox,  all  shipped  to  Europe 2  00  to    4  00 

Red  fox,  all  shipped  to  Europe 1  00  to    1  50 

Hair-seals,  all  shipped  to  Europe 25  to       50 

I  remain  yours,  most  respectfully, 

AJDOLPH  MtiLLER. 
J.  T.  MCLEAN,  Esq. 


APPENDIX  V  1. 
The  fur  trade  at  Sitka. 

Owing  to  the  lively  competition  that  has  sprung  up  since  the  "transfer,"  all  kinds 
of  furs  press  very  closely  upon  San  Francisco  figures,  if  not  even  a  shade  ahove.  Most 
of  the  peltries  offered  here  are  of  an  inferior  quality,  but  as  the  opinion  prevails  that 
anything  coming  from  Sitka  must  be  good,  a  ready  sale  is  found  for  all  kinds.  The 
natives  have  learned  many  "  Yankee  tricks,"  and  resort  to  all  of  them  to  eifect  a  trade- 
patching,  coloring,  sewing  parts  of  two  skins  together.  The  following  may  be  given 
as  the  current  rates  here,  according  to  the  quality : 

Marten  from $1  25  to  $5  00 

Minkfrom 25  to    1  50 

Ermine  from 

Fur-seal  from .• 

Sea  otter  from 

Land  otter  from 1  50  to    3  50 

Cross  fox  from 3  00  to    5  00 

Redfoxfrom 75  to    150 

Silver  fox  from : 5  00  to  15  00 

Black  bear  from 2  00  to    600 

Brofrom 1  50  to    4  00 

MOUTH   OF  THE   TACCOO  AN!)  CHILKAHT  COUNTRY. 

It  is  very  well  known  that  the  fur  trade  of  that  locality  is  the  richest  throughout  thi» 
Territory,  and  we  consider  it  to  be  to  the  interest  of  the  country  to  develop  its  wealth. 
Reports  are  current  that  gold  has  been  found  along  the  Taccoo,  but  the  Indians  would 
not  allow  the  parties  who  left  here  to  ascend  the  river. 

The  Hudson's  Bay  Company  appear  to  manage  things  far  better  than  we  do,  and  in- 
spire more  confidence,  from  their  general  treatment  of  the  Indians. 

The  Chilkaht  country  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  and  important  portions  of  this 
Territory.  The  Indians  are  very  numerous,  and  set  down  as  a  very  warlike  tribe. 
There  is  a  very  large  trading  business  carried  on  there,  chiefly  in  furs  and  skins ;  the 
market,  however,  is  not  accessible  to  every  one. 


APPENDIX  W. 

The  Editor  of  the  Alaska  Times  says : 

That  Alaska  abounds  in  resources  of  vast  wealth  we  are  satisfied.  This  Territory  is 
no  barren  country,  nor  is  its  climate  as  uninviting  as  it  lias  been  represented. 

Ou R  RESOURCES. — They  are  numerous;  1st.  Our  forests  of  timber  are  not  perhaps 
to  be  surpassed  in  the  world. 

2d.    Our  fisheries  are  not  to  be  equalled  in  any  country  on  the  globe. 

3d.    Our  fur  and  seal  skin  trade  and  facilities  cannot  be  surpassed  or  equalled  out- 


164 


REPORT    OF   THE    COMMISSION    ON    INDIAN    AFFAIRS. 


aide  of  Alaska.  It  is  true  that  the  Russian- American  Company  were  behind  the  age  in 
the  art  of  modern  inventions.  They  knew  but  little  about  the  implements  used  by  our 
American  fishermen,  trappers,  or  miners ;  yet,  in  their  rude  way  of  managing  their 
affairs,  the  Russian-American  Company  sent  millions  of  dollars  from  Alaska  to  the  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  world. 

In  inventions,  in  implements,  in  competition,  and  we  might  add,  of  every  under- 
taking, they  were  far  behind  the  times. 


APPENDIX  X. 

LAW  OF  CONGRESS  CONCERNING}  THE  FUR-SEALS. 

SEC.  6.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  it  shall  be  unlawful  for  any  person  or  persons 
to  kill  any  otter,  mink,  marten,  sable,  or  fur-seal,  or  other  fur-bearing  animal,  within 
the  limits  of  said  Territory,  or  in  the  waters  thereof;  and  any  person  guilty  thereof 
shall,  for  each  offense,  on  conviction,  be  fined  in  any  sum  not  less  than  two  hundred 
dollars  nor  more  than  one  thousand,  or  imprisoned  not  more  than  six  months,  or  both, 
at  the  discretion  of  the  court;  and  all  vessels,  their  tackle,  apparel,  furniture,  and  cargo 
found  engaged  in  the  violation  of  this  act  shall  be  forfeited :  Provided,  That  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Treasury  shall  have  power  to  authorize  the  killing  of  any  of  such  mink, 
marten,  sable,  or  other  fur-bearing  animals,  except  fur-seals,  under  such  regulations  as 
he  may  prescribe;  and  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  said  Secretary  to  prevent  the  killing 
of  any  fur-seal,  and  to  provide  for  the  execution  of  the  provisions  of  this  section  until 
it  shall  be  otherwise  provided  by  law  :  Provided,  That  no  special  privileges  shall  be 
granted  under  this  act. 


APPENDIX  Z. 

Census  of  tlie  Indian  village  (Slikine)  at  Wrangel,  Alaska. 


Houses. 

S 
S 

"Women. 

1 

"3 
0 

Houses. 

d 

3 

Women. 

! 

_» 

i-t 

3 

First                       

7 

5 

4 

:, 

Seventeenth  

8 

10 

1 

i 

Second  

4 

4 

1 

1 

Eighteenth  

5 

5 

3 

3 

Third 

7 

10 

1 

10 

5 

5 

2 

2 

Fourth 

4 

6 

4 

1 

Twentieth 

4 

7 

7 

1 

Fifth 

10 

9 

0 

10 

Twenty-first 

5 

5 

1 

0 

Sixth 

3 

3 

4 

o 

4 

3 

4 

0 

1 

1 

1 

1 

Twenty  -third  

5 

7 

1 

4 

Eighth            _.. 

6 

4 

6 

4 

Twenty-fourth  

5 

8 

1 

0 

Ninth 

5 

7 

3 

o 

Twenty-fifth 

8 

10 

3 

7 

Tenth  

5 

6 

0 

3 

i  Twenty-sixth....  

6 

9 

7 

4 

5 

5 

0 

4 

4 

9 

3 

Twelfth 

2 

2 

1 

0 

'  Twenty-eighth      

4 

5 

1 

2 

Thirteenth 

6 

6 

0 

10 

1  Twenty-ninth  

10 

2 

0 

7 

5 

1 

1 

Thirtieth  

2 

2 

5 

0 

Fifteenth    .             

2 

2 

1 

1 

Thirty-first  

3 

3 

3 

2 

2 

4 

3 

3 

8 

6 

3 

2 

Total   

159 

183 

77 

89 

Men 159 

Women  and  children  . . 349 


Total 508 


INDEX  TO  REPORT  OF  BOARD  OF  INDIAN  COMMISSIONERS. 


Page. 

Alaska 81 

Alaska  Indians 62, 101, 108, 110 

Aleutes,  their  character 93, 98 

Art  among  the  Koloshians  Indians 84 

Aleutian  Islands,  their  agricultural  resources 148 

British  Columbia,  the  Indian  -tribes  of 81,  111 

Bristol  Bay,  the  tribes  and  country 99 

British  Columbia,  the  missions  of 

Bailey,  Dr.,  on  irregularities  at  Sitka 129 

Bellskoffsky , 91 

Cook's  Inlet '. 99 

Charts  of  Alaska  seas,  their  unreliability.... 157 

Census  of  Indian  village  at  Wrangel 164 

Coal  and  copper „ 113 

Care  of  natives  in  preserving  food 84 

Climate  of  Sitka .108,117 

Climate  of  Aleutian  Islands 150 

Caesarawitch,  sending  liquors  from 128 

Carlton,  O.  B.    Report  on  fisheries .• 131 

Duncan's  mission  at  Metlacatlah 106 

Demoralizing  effects  of  near  proximity  of  posts  to  Indian  villages 104 

Dall,  William  H.,  report  of 117,142,150 

Dodge,  Hon.  William  S.,  report  of 135,138,158 

Fur  trade,  report  of * 149, 159, 163 

Fur  trade  at  San  Francisco 159, 162 

Fur  seals 95,164 

Fisheries  of  Alaska 103,131,149 

Glaciers 114 

Halleck,  Major  General.    Report  on  Indians  of  Alaska 110 

Healy,  M.  A.    Report  on  schooner  General  Harney 147 

Hospitals .». 129 

KakeWar,  History  of 134,136 

Kapus,  William 125,127 

Kpdiak 89 

Liquors,  law  in  regard  to 133 

Liquors.    Violation  of  the  law .' : 85,  87, 125 

Liquors  at  Wrangel,  Tongas,  Sitka,  Kodiak 84,86,133 

Liquors,  after  confiscation,  sold  at  public  auction 87 

Liquors.    Letters  of  Collector  Kapus 125 

Lonthan,  Frank  K.,  report  of 120 

La  Grange ,  L.  A.,  report  of 147 

Metlacatlah,  mission  at 106 

Murphy,  Thomas,  letter  on  citizenship .' 137 

Medical  attendance  supplied  by  General  Davis 87 

Medical  attendance,  absence  of,  at  Wrangel  and  Tongas 94 

Monopolies  in  Alaska  fur  seal  and  other  trade 90 

Mahoney;  Frank,  report  of 122 

Oukama'ck  Island 91 

Parker,  James  C.,  his  shooting  Indians 88 

Parker,  J.  C.,  court-martial  on  trial  of 153 

Proximity  of  government  posts  and  Indian  villages  in  Alaska 85, 104 

Raymond,  Charles  W.,  report  on  the  Yonkon  River  and  tribes 139 

Recommendation 108 

Seals,  fur,  their  habits  and  care  of ., 95 

Stachine  River,  report  on,  by  H.  G.  Williams 112 

Stachine  village,  census  of .• 

St.  Paul  Island,  description  of 92 

Sandwich  Islands.    Vessels  sailing  from  St.  Paul  Island 98 

Smith,  Leon,  post  trader  at  Wrangel 115 

Tonner,  Dr.  J.  A.,  report  on  Sitka  Indian  village 129 

Tongas  village  and  tribe 82 

Trade  among  coast  Indians 83, 140 

Villages,  location  of  Indian 

Wrangel 86 

Wrangel.  abuse  of  Indians  at 105  • 

Winds  and  weather  of  Alaska 134,144,150 

Williams,  Harry  G.,  report  on  the  Stikine  River  and  tribe 112 

Wall,  W.    Report  on  Indians  at  Wrangel 116 

Wood  Island 89 

Yonkon  river  and  tribes ; 141, 143 

Apaches 54, 61 

Aztecs 50 

Arizona,  the  tribes  of '. 51 

Board  of  commissioners,  report  of 5 

Colyer,  Vincent,  report  on  tribes  in  Kansas,  Indian  Territory,  Arizona,  and  New  Mexico 30 

Cherokees  ..  31,33,59 


166  INDEX. 

Page. 

Creeks.    Mission  at  Tallaha«ae 40 

Choctaws 33, 3T 

wCheyennes 43 

Farwell,  J.  V.,  report  of 28 

Grant,  TJ.  S.,  executive  order  of 4 

Grierson,  report  of 27 

J  onee,  Colonel,  report  of SI 

Long,  Colonel.    Report  on  "Rio  Colorado 27 

Liquora.    Order  of  I?.  II.  Grierson  on  introduction  of  liq  uora  in  Indian  Territory 28 

If  <><!  (i  i  H  of  Arizona '. 50 

Itarcy,  E.  B.,  inspector  general,  letter  from 70 

Navajoes 49 

Usages 58 

Petition  of  United  States  Indian  Commission  of  New  York 55 

Parker,  E.  S.,  letter  from 3 

Pueblos  of  New  Mexico •*• 


y 


Sub-committee,  report  of,  on  Indiana  of  Kanaaa  and  Indian  Territory ,  11 

Seininoles 39 

Staked  Plains 47 

Talk  at  the  Kiowa  and  Comanche  agency  at  Fort  Sill 31 

Wichita*  ..  43 


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